Blackpool enjoys record footfall over winter

By Tim Aldred

28 Jan 2022

Blackpool welcomed millions of extra visitors to its promenade and town centre between September and the New Year.

The promenade recorded 17.2m visitors across the last four months of 2021, against an average of 10m over the prior three years. Town centre footfall was 12.2m, up from 9.2m pre-pandemic.

The figures reveal the success of the council's decision to extend the Illuminations season by two months and to stage an ambitious Christmas campaign.

The Christmas By The Sea campaign, which ran on the Tower Festival Headland from November 19 to January 3, and included a free skating rink, artificial snowfalls, light projection shows, log cabins, large-scale light installations, and the Star Flyer ride as part of the Winter Gardens Wonderland event, resulted in a 75 per cent increase in footfall on the seafront compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

The additional Winter Wonderland activity around St John’s Square and the Winter Gardens, combined with a heavily-discounted parking offer, resulted in town centre footfall increasing by almost 28 per cent over the same period compared to 2019.

The footfall figures are supported by record amounts of visitor interest recorded on the VisitBlackpool website over the extended Illuminations season with all four months showing huge increases over 2019 (the last full year of tourism activity) and December more than three times the volume of 2019.

There was a similar picture on parking usage during the Christmas campaign with both town centre and Promenade showing large increases in patronage. For most of this period, car parking was offered at a special rate of £1 for three hours across most Council car parks.

Coun Lynn Williams, leader of Blackpool Council and tourism portfolio holder, said: "We witnessed extraordinary volumes of people coming into the town centre and on to the Promenade over the final part of the year, and particularly during the Christmas By The Sea campaign.

"As we came out of the pandemic restrictions partway through last year, we were determined to put in place a tourism recovery plan that was of sufficient scale and quality to give our businesses the best possible chance of recouping some of the losses they incurred over two years of Covid disruption.

"The overall results are a total vindication of our investment. The Christmas By The Sea event over several weeks on the Tower Festival Headland clearly captured the public’s imagination and gave us the best Christmas visitor numbers we have seen in living memory.

“What we now need to do is work with our partners to not just replicate what we delivered in 2021, but build on what was a remarkable campaign.”

The council has already announced that this year’s Illuminations season will once again be extended by two months, starting on September 2 and running through to January 2, 2023. Discussions are also underway with private sector partners, including the newly-established Tourism BID, to look at a return of the Christmas events.

  • For further Lancashire business news, advice and analysis subscribe to Lancashire Business View or join the LBV Hub from just £2.50 per month. Click here to subscribe now.

Enjoyed this? Read more from Tim Aldred

Latest news

1

Wain Homes agrees partnership to complete development site in Blackburn Wain Homes site

Wain Homes agrees partnership to complete development site in Blackburn

27 Jan 2025

2

Panthera celebrate 5th anniversary at clinical research clinic

Panthera celebrate 5th anniversary at clinical research clinic

27 Jan 2025

3

Barnfield Construction transitions to an Employee-Owned Business Staff Cheer Photo.jpg.jpg

Barnfield Construction transitions to an Employee-Owned Business

24 Jan 2025

4

Wallsauce looks to grow B2B customer base with increased trade focus Martin Emmott Rosebud and Andy Gerraty Wallsauce

Wallsauce looks to grow B2B customer base with increased trade focus

24 Jan 2025

5

CBP goes into administration Community and Business Partners in Blackburn with doors shut

CBP goes into administration

23 Jan 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
The Lancashire Festival of Business
FOB 315
Exhibitions
30 Jan 2025

The Lancashire Festival of Business

Impact Conferencing, Burnley, BB12 6QP

09:30 - 16:00

Skills Bootcamp in Procurement - Cohort 3
Blue-Modern-Land-Travel-Youtube-Thumbnail-2-1024x576.png.png
LBV Hub Awards
14 Jan 2025 - 18 Mar 2025

Skills Bootcamp in Procurement - Cohort 3

Community & Business Partners CIC, Blackburn, BB2 3UA

09:30 - 13:00

The Marketing Meetup IRL: Lancashire
LBV Hub Event Image.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
30 Jan 2025 - 30 Jan 2025

The Marketing Meetup IRL: Lancashire

Strawberry Fields Digital Hub, Chorley, PR7 1PS

18:00 - 20:00

February Preston Tech Connection Meet-Up: Tech & Our Planet
PRESTON TECH CONNECTION jan.ai.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
12 Feb 2025 - 12 Feb 2025

February Preston Tech Connection Meet-Up: Tech & Our Planet

Society1 Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 19:30

Police Apprenticeship event
Student Centre Autumn 2022.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Social
12 Feb 2025 - 12 Jan 2025

Police Apprenticeship event

University of Central Lancashire, Foster Social Space , Preston , PR1 2HE

16:00 - 19:00

Amber River True Bearing Quarterly Investment Seminar
LBV Hub Seminars
13 Feb 2025

Amber River True Bearing Quarterly Investment Seminar

Mercure Blackburn Dunkenhalgh Hotel & Spa, Blackburn Rd, Clayton-le-Moors, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB5 5JP

16:00 - 18:00

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
13 Feb 2025 - 13 Feb 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Mytton Fold, Langho, BB6 8AB

11:30 - 14:15

Sub36 Networking - Behind the beans
Sub36 Social1200Atkinsons New
Networking
14 Feb 2025

Sub36 Networking - Behind the beans

Atkinsons Speciality Coffee, Lancaster, LA1 1 EX

09:00 - 11:30

National Apprenticeship Week 2025 Celebration - Business Breakfast Showcase
Student Centre Autumn 2022.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
14 Feb 2025 - 14 Jan 2025

National Apprenticeship Week 2025 Celebration - Business Breakfast Showcase

Media Factory , Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 10:00

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

Employment Law, Tax and Payroll Update - East Lancashire
Employment updates - LinkedIn East Lancs-01.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
26 Feb 2025 - 26 Feb 2025

Employment Law, Tax and Payroll Update - East Lancashire

Accrington Stanley Football Club, Accrington, BB5 5BX

08:00 - 10:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV120 Online Graphic 1
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin