Research
Understanding our visitors, why they visit and what they do helps us to develop and promote the Lake District, Cumbria as a truly world-class destination that enhances their experience and keeps people coming back again and again.
Cumbria Tourism’s research team also works with a range of tourism organisations, businesses and public sector partners to gather vital market intelligence and up-to-date analysis around business performance and economic impact.
This evidence-based approach enables Cumbria Tourism to make the voice of Cumbria’s tourism industry heard loud and clear with national decision-makers and industry bodies.
How’s Business? Have your say now!
With big political changes nationally and regionally, continuing high costs and restrictions on consumer spending, what’s on your mind right now?
From advocacy to marketing, workforce development to business support, please take a few minutes to (anonymously) complete our Autumn Business Performance Survey and help us inform and shape activities on your behalf.
Regular research undertaken by Cumbria Tourism’s research team includes:
Countywide visitor surveys
Annual tourism economic impact assessments, measuring visitor numbers and value
Tourism business performance surveys at least twice a year
Monthly occupancy surveys with the full range of accommodation providers (including almost 200 participants)
Monthly data collection from tourist information centres and visitor attractions
Regular analysis of accommodation stock composition, including Airbnb data
Cumbria Visitor Survey
Our research team have been carrying out a county-wide survey into visitor trends and behaviour throughout Summer/Autumn 2025. Our researchers are conducting more than 2,000 face-to-face interviews at almost 60 locations throughout the county, along with additional online surveys to capture further in-depth data.
Cumbria Tourism takes the lead on the Cumbria Visitor Survey with support from the Lake District National Park and local authority partners.
Data shows how many visitors came, visitor days, tourism revenue generated and employment supported. Information is provided by visitor type (day, staying), sector (food and drink, recreation, shopping etc) and also by seasonality.
In the meantime, you can see the highlights of the 2025 Cumbria Visitor Survey in our press release and the full report is available to Cumbria Tourism members for free on our Media Library. Non-members can also purchase the full report here.
Tourism Economic Impact Assessment
Our annual assessment of Cumbria’s overall tourism performance provides vital insights into the volume and value of visitors during the previous year. The statistics come from the Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor, commonly known as ‘STEAM’.
This research has taken place for almost 25 years, giving us important information about longer-term trends and helping to shape wider decisions around tourism management and development.
It is produced on behalf of a partnership led by Cumbria Tourism and supported by Cumberland Council, Westmorland & Furness Council and the Lake District National Park Authority.
The full report is available to Cumbria Tourism members for free on our Media Library. Non-members can purchase the full report on Tourism Volume and Value in Cumbria 2025 here.
Business Performance Survey
Cumbria Tourism’s regular business performance surveys gather ‘real-time’ (anonymous) data from tourism operators about the issues, challenges and opportunities they are facing. Working alongside Cumbrian accountancy firm Lamont Pridmore, this up-to-date evidence has allowed us to dig down deeper into the experiences of individual tourism operators.
Our business performance surveys have proved invaluable during both the global pandemic and the cost of living crisis, enabling Cumbria Tourism to use first-hand insight to argue the county’s case for support at the highest levels of government.
See an overview of our Spring 2026 Survey.
A downloadable PDF of the full report can be purchased here.
Cumbria Tourism members can download the most recent report via our Media Library using your member login. Thank you to all those businesses who continue to contribute; together we can make our voices heard.
How businesses can get involved:
Join the Accommodation Occupancy Survey for free
Almost 200 businesses already participate in Cumbria Tourism’s monthly occupancy surveys, helping to benchmark their business against others and enriching the picture we are able to paint of Cumbria’s visitor economy.
It is free (and confidential) for ANY accommodation provider to take part in this quick, simple process. As well as being able to view accommodation occupancy rates across the county as the year unfolds, you will also receive a complementary annual report (worth £65+VAT) showing monthly occupancy rates across the county by business type, location, size and quality rating. Contact Helen Tate to sign up: htate@cumbriatourism.org
Keep your finger on the pulse by accessing T-STATS
T-STATS is a real-time destination tracking system containing a wide range of tourism-related insight into everything from national indicators (e.g. exchange rates, inbound visitors, airport activity) to local data on the weather, petrol prices, accommodation occupancy, visits to visitor attractions and enquiries at Tourist Information Centres.
It is free to sign up. All we need from you in return is one figure each month – your visitor numbers (which would remain completely anonymous). As well as seeing your own performance tracked over time, it’s a fantastic way of keeping an eye on how others in the sector are doing too. Contact Helen Tate to find out more: htate@cumbriatourism.org
Make the most of our regular tourism research updates
Regular tourism research updates are available to Cumbria Tourism members for free. Download the most recent report via our Media Library using your member login.
(These updates are also available to ANY business which provides us with regular data on occupancy, attractions, etc).
Consult our in-depth research reports and analysis
Our detailed research reports fall into four key categories: business performance, visitor markets, accommodation and attractions. This invaluable data will enable you to benchmark your business against others and help you plan future investment and marketing activity
Cumbria Tourism members can access these reports for free on our Media Library
Non-members can visit our shop to purchase reports and see the full range of in-depth analysis available.
Shop Cumbria Tourism Research Reports
As an exclusive member benefit, Cumbria Tourism members can access all our research reports for free on the Media Library with their usual login.
Contact amackintosh@cumbriatourism.org if you need help logging in.
Non-members can browse our full range of research reports below:
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Cumbria Visitor Survey 2022 (Downloadable PDF)
£250.00 +VAT -
Self Catering Occupancy Report 2025 (Downloadable PDF)
£150.00 +VAT -
Serviced Accommodation Occupancy Report 2025 (Downloadable PDF)
£150.00 +VAT -
Latest research update report – October 2025 (Downloadable PDF)
£125.00 +VAT -
Cumbria Visitor Survey 2025 (Downloadable PDF)
£695.00 +VAT -
Cumbria Full STEAM Report 2024 (Downloadable PDF)
£999.00 +VAT -
Tourism Volume & Value in Cumbria 2025: Key Facts and Trends (Downloadable PDF)
£999.00 +VAT