This week is English Tourism Week, albeit a rather long 10 week according to the organisers. While Crawley may well not be the obvious final destination for travellers, clearly the size of the town’s aviation industry and the hospitality industry which supports it means that–despite attempts to diversify local employment–the economic fortunes of the town remain closely tied with the UK’s tourist industry.
Despite the huge downturn in travel which accompanied the pandemic, inbound visits to Britain are recovering, forecast to return to 92% of their 2019 level this year, while inbound spending will hit a record £31.7bn.
It’s another story when it comes to outbound travel, with a third of UK residents more likely to holiday in the country this year than last, with a majority indicating that this is due to cost, a major issue after 14 years of stagnating wages.
While this is good news for much of the English tourism sector, benefitting from both greater domestic and international patronage, Crawley’s tourism sector is final destination neutral, benefitting as much from UK residents holidaying abroad as we do from international travellers visiting the UK. So, after the Budget this month, it remains to be seen what impact the country’s continuing abysmal economic performance will have upon the town’s largest industrial sectors.
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Peter Lamb for Crawley 