A town in Yorkshire has been inundated by visitors this year, increasing its footfall by more than a million people. This is despite the beach having been placed at the bottom of a league table of seaside destinations.
Bridlington in Yorkshire was given last place on a list of the best Yorkshire seaside resorts, put together by Which? magazine this year.
But this hasn’t kept tourists away from the East Yorkshire beach – quite the opposite.
The number of visitors to Bridlington has increased from 3.5 million between June 2020 and May 2021 to a whopping 4.9 million from June 2021 and May 2022.
This is according to figures from Place Informatics, which analyses tourism footfall and behaviour.
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Filey was another destination that enjoyed a 56 percent increase in tourist numbers, while Whitby’s footfall rose by 44 percent.
Visitor numbers in Hornsea rose by 40 percent, while the number of tourists visiting Saltburn-by-the-Sea increased by 37 percent.
Clive Hall, CEO of Place Informatics, commented on the results, noting both the advantages and disadvantages of mass tourism.
He said: “It is great to see these popular Yorkshire seaside towns are attracting so many more visitors over the last 12 months, but these huge increases can impact local businesses, services and infrastructure if not managed correctly.
“Our data helps these seaside towns understand their visitors and helps them minimise any negative impact of this increased popularity to ensure these additional visitors are a positive for the towns and their businesses.”
Which? magazine’s list of best UK seaside spots listed 87 destinations in total, with Bridlington finishing in 72nd place.
This made it the last Yorkshire beach on the list.
Nationally, the first destination was Bamburgh, in Northumberland, followed by Llandudno, and St Andrews.
In 87th place was Skegness, in Lincolnshire.
Top of the chart for Yorkshire was Filey, which came in eighth place.
Other top-scoring destinations were Robin Hood’s Bay, in 12th place, Whitby in 17th place, and Saltburn in 25th place.
Scarborough was placed at number 42.
