A new tourism and hospitality survey has been launched by North Kesteven District Council to better understand the experiences, opportunities and challenges of businesses within the sector.
With the impact of tourism on the District economy rising 8.8% between 2024 and 2025 to £226million last year, maximising the potential of the 3 million tourism visits made within North Kesteven across a year is good for business.
Growth is being driven by strong day visitor demand, increasing overnight stays, rising use of non-serviced accommodation and growing visitor expenditure.
These impacts are shown within the annual national tourism benchmarking data known as STEAM.
As positive as they are, the statistical data only tells part of the story and as the Council aims to better understand the situation for tourism and hospitality locally it has launched its online survey – to hear directly from businesses about whether the benefits are being felt on the ground. The survey will remain open until November 30, 2026.
Another big positive in the STEAM report is that the day visits to the District generated £142 million for the local economy last year.
The data demonstrates the value and importance of tourism to North Kesteven and the local economy sustaining 2,170 full-time equivalent jobs.
Visitor numbers and economic impact show the strength of the District’s visitor offer. Heritage attractions, events, food and drink, walking and cycling, and rural tourism contribute to growth, while tourism continues to support local jobs and businesses.
However, the data also helps the Council to understand the challenges faced by businesses in the District and how it can support them in terms of their growth and opportunities to improve the visitor experience across North Kesteven.
The challenges include rising operating costs facing hospitality and tourism businesses, and recruitment and skills. The cost-of-living pressures are also affecting visitor spending and not all businesses are experiencing growth at the same rate.