Rail disruption hits Blackpool visitor numbers

The number of overnight stays remained strong, however, and the figures were still an improvement over the summer of 2016.

The Omnibus survey shows that the total number of adult visits fell from 3.2m in 2017 to 2.8m in 2018. Overnight stays accounted for 1.5m visits, the same as previous year, but day visits fell from 1.7m to 1.3m.

Over that same four-month period, the volume of inbound travellers coming into Blackpool by rail fell by an average of 5 per cent, with a deficit of 10 per cent in August. Year to date, inbound rail travel is more than 15 per cent down.

“Although the fall in day trips is a small percentage of our overall visitor market and our overall visitor numbers are still higher than 2016, it is disappointing given the level of investment in new attractions this year."

“Fortunately, the level of overnight stays has remained strong and that is illustrated by the success of the Resort Pass which has achieved record sales this year.”

Cllr Campbell added: “We are grateful for the destination marketing support from Northern, but the impact of that will likely have been diluted by further disruption to our services during September and October. “The focus for the rail operators must be to reach a level of reliability so that visitors can rebuild their trust in train services as a means of getting to and from the resort.”