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Tourism in
Somerset - A Profile
of the County
Somerset is a diverse county covering
1,333 square miles offering fertile
countryside, beaches, resorts, Exmoor
National Park, villages and market
towns. Tourism is a significant part
of the Somerset economy - the other
main industries being food and drink
processing (including agriculture),
advanced/precision engineering and
public/private administration
(including financial/professional
services). There are 420 settlements
in the county and the total population
in 2002 was approximately 498,700
(based on the 2001 Census).
 The
county has over 45 miles of coastline,
three Areas of Outstanding Natural
Beauty and a range of marked walking
trails and cycle routes. There are
approximately 247 visitor attractions
and 1,818 accommodation providers in
Somerset, with 33,934 bedspaces and
6,625 touring pitches. The 29
networked and non-networked Tourist
Information Centres in the county
provide visitors and residents with a
whole range of tourism information.
 An
estimated 34,838 actual jobs are
directly and indirectly supported by
tourism expenditure, with day and
staying visitors spending around
£850.9 million.
The ‘true value’ of tourism to the
Somerset economy is difficult to
calculate but it is worth remembering
that as well as accommodation
establishments and attractions,
tourism generates direct revenue for
many retail establishments, pubs,
restaurants and cafes, village shops
and post offices, garden centres,
leisure facilities, churches and a
myriad of service related businesses.
 The
total business turnover for tourism
businesses in 2001 was approximately
£835 million.
There were approximately 3.07 million
staying trips* made to the county in
2001, equating to 10.7 million visitor
nights and a spending of around
£457.7million. Around 6% of the
staying trips were made from overseas.
There were also approximately 16.07
million day trips* to the county in
2001 which account for spending of an
estimated £393.2m. In 2002 there were
an estimated 8.5 million visits to
attractions in Somerset. |
