1999: UK Seaside Resorts – Behind the Facade.
Seaside resorts in the UK need support to tackle problems of economic, social and environmental decline. It is now critical for policy makers to respond to needs of the resorts if further and irrecoverable decline is not to take place.
Through this document the British Resorts Association aims to obtain wider recognition of the problems faced by the UK’s seaside resorts. The original study that prompted a series of increasingly more in-depth studies into the socio economic issues associated with “resort” towns. Text only, scanned or hardcopy versions of the report can be obtained from British Destinations: Behind Facade Report Text
2003: The seaside economy.
The seaside economy (2003): the final report of the seaside towns research project. A ground breaking study, which looked at the economies of “principal resorts” in England, Wales and Scotland: SHU Seaside Economy Fina lReport 2003
2006: Ageing and Coastal Communities.
This report explores the process of demographic ageing in coastal areas of the UK and the implications of this changing population profile for the future economic and social development of these areas: 2006 Ageing and Coastal Communities Report
2008: England’s Seaside Towns – a benchmarking study.
This report has been commissioned to help inform policy development in response to the 2007 Select Committee inquiry into England’s coastal towns. The report presents a range of statistical evidence on socio-economic conditions and compares the figures with regional and English averages, but only in the original “principal” seaside towns and only those in England, originally identified in the 2003 Seaside Economy report (published above). Subsequently smaller seaside towns in both England and Wales where identified and studied both retrospectively in the same manner and in the same subjects as principal destinations and they were also included in all later studies, for example, the 2010 report : The Seaside Tourist Industry in England and Wales (published below). SHU CLG principal resort benchmark study
2009: Seaside Towns in Wales – a benchmark study.
Seaside towns in Wales – a benchmarking study. This replicated the previous seperate benchmark studies on principal seaside towns in England ( published above) and the subsequently smaller seaside towns in England benchmarked ( published below): SHU SEASIDE TOWNS IN WALES – benchmarking study_FINAL
2010: England’s Smaller Seaside Towns – a benchmark study.
2010: The Seaside tourist industry in England and Wales.
The Seaside tourist industry in England and Wales – employment, economic output, location and trends. This report presents new figures on the scale of the seaside tourist industry in England and Wales (covering both principal and smaller seaside towns). The figures are comprehensive in that they cover just about all the places where seaside tourism is a significant component of the local economy, consistent in that they provide data for each individual resort on the same basis, and comparable throughtime: SHU FINALTourismReport
2010: Economic Value of Welsh Marinas
The aims of this report are to assess the economic impact of Marinas in Wales on their local economies, and by aggregating these, their overall impact on the Welsh economy. These were achieved through a series of case studies of Welsh marinas undertaken during summer 2010 which provided a robust analysis of the value that Marina operations bring to the economy of Wales. ( Our comment: The methodologies and finding may have utility outside Wales): Report on the Value of Welsh Marinas
2011: The caravan communities of the Lincolnshire coast.
The caravan communities of the Lincolnshire coast. SHU-caravans-report-280711
2012: The Coastal Communities of South East England Recommendations to the South East LEP.
This report considers the policy implications arising from a statistical review of the South East’s coastal communities, completed in April 2012. It also builds on discussions involving coastal local authorities, private sector representatives and other local partners. SHU SE Coastal LEP Report Dec 2012
2013: Turning the Tide – Social Justice in 5 seaside towns.
A report by the Centre for Social justice looking at 5 seaside town cases studies: Turning-the-Tide
2013: ONS A Profile of Deprivation in Larger English Seaside Destinations, 2007 and 2010.
A Profile of Deprivation in Larger English Seaside Destinations, 2007 and 2010 (2013). This article defines the 57 largest seaside destinations in England based on resident populations of constituent Lower Layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs). It examines the levels of deprivation experienced by seaside destinations compared with England as a whole and to each other.
2013 ONS A Profile of Deprivation in Larger English Seaside Destinations, 2007 and 2010
2014: Seaside Towns in the Age of Austerity.
The impact of economic austerity on Britain’s seaside tourist industry has so far been very unclear. This report updates previous estimates of the employment supported by seaside tourism to cover the years since 2008. The report provides figures for 121 individual resorts around the coast of England and Wales: 2014 SHU report Seaside Towns in the Age of Austerity
Original professionally printed hard copy of a very limited print run can be obtained from British Destinations at cost of £100 including free postage and packing. Orders placed now will be delivered with complimentary professionally printed copies of both the 0riginal 2010 The Seaside Tourism Industry in England and Wales and the 2003 The Seaside Economy reports. To place or discuss orders please contact us here.
2011: Census – Coastal Communities (2014).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compares the average data from the 2011 census across 273 coastal communities with the averages for England and Wales as a whole:
2011 Census Coastal Communities in England and Wales (2014)
2015: Coastal Communities Fund Annual progress report 2014.
Coastal Communities Fund (CCF) is a UK-wide programme funded by the UK Government through the allocation of funding equivalent to 50 per cent of the revenues from the Crown Estate’s marine activities. Launched to coincide with the announcement of the majority of round 3 awards in late January 2015, this report highlights the progress made in rounds 1 and 2, 2012 to 2014: 2015 Coastal Communities Fund Annual progress report 2014
2015: Coastal Tourism (2015).
2015 Coastal Tourism (2015). A paper produced by the National Coastal Academy. “Coastal tourism is often perceived as an industry in decline, yet a recent report by Sheffield Hallam University challenges this perception. This paper seeks to bridge gaps in understanding and present the state of tourism on the coast of England as well as the opportunities for growth, and priorities for development and support”: 2015 Coastal Tourism
2016: Coastal Tourism (2016).
This paper builds on the previous report published by the National Coastal Tourism Academy (NCTA) Coastal Tourism 2015 and seeks to update the picture on the current status of coastal tourism in England, the context within which it operates and some of the key opportunities and challenges it faces. The paper reviews all the known data published on coastal tourism and key issues impacting growth on the coast, combined with primary research undertaken or commissioned by the National Coastal Tourism Academy: 2016 Coastal Tourism Report
2017: Potential Contribution of Coastal Tourism to the Regeneration of Seaside Towns.
Commissioned by BHA this report assesses the current and potential value and contribution of coastal tourism to the regeneration of seaside towns and coastal communities and make recommendations for action to increase the contribution of the tourism and hospitality sectors:
2016-bha-coastal-tourism-report
Off Peak Coastal Tourism: Potential for growth in the Empty Nesters Market (2016)
Produced by the National Coastal Tourism Academy this report looks at off peak coastal tourism. By 2024 Empty Nesters – the over 55s – will be the biggest sector of the population. This age-group has considerable financial flexibility, recently helped by pension reforms giving them access to more disposable cash. They therefore represent a significant market for boosting off-season holidays to the coast:
2016-off-peak-coastal-tourism-potential-for-growth-in-the-empty-nesters-market
2017: Activity Holidays: Are they the key to growth on the English Coast?
The research was commissioned by the National Coastal Tourism Academy to understand more about this potential opportunity and to help businesses and destinations understand what they can do to attract more of the activity market to the coast:
2017 Activity Holidays on the English coast
2017: Perceptions of the English Coast: Identifying Opportunities for Domestic Non-Visitors.
Commissioned by the National Coastal Tourism Academy this non-visitor research identifies the barriers that could be addressed, which non-visitors might be open to staying on the English coast and which types of destination and activities would be most relevant to them:
2017 Perceptions of the English Coast Domestic Non-Visitors. NCTA
2017: Report of the Inquiry into Coastal Communities – APPG for the Visitor Economy.
Produced by BHA in their capacity as the secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Visitor Economy in Westminster the APPG’s report looks at the challenges for coastal communities and tourism and makes recommendations for Government and the industry on how together they can build on the strengths found in coastal communities and promote growth and social mobility in all areas of the UK:
2017 BHA report APPG inquiry into hospitality and tourism in coastal communities
Inbound coast research 2017 (2018).
Published in March 2018 this report take the insights gleaned from 2 primary research projects conducted for VE by One Minute to Midnight and Maru/edr in respect of the VE DEF programme:
2018 VE DEF magazine – coastal_ tourism research
The Future of Seaside Towns (2019).
This is the report of the House of Lords Select Committee on Regenerating Seaside Towns and Communities. The Committee makes 59 recommendations to Government (see report summary pages 3 -3 and summary of recommendations pages 106 to 112):
2019 House of Lords Select Committee Report – The Future of Seaside Towns
Chief Medical Officer for England 2021 Annual Report.
The Chief Medical Officers for England’s 2021 report issued in July 2021 looks at the cause and effects of poor health outcomes in England’s Coastal Communities and makes recommendations:
2021 cmo-annual_report-2021-health-in-coastal-communities-summary-and-recommendations-accessible (1)
Communities on the Edge 2023.
Produced by Pragmatix Advisory for the Coastal Communities Alliance and partners the report makes the case for more appropriate metric and greater inclusion of coastal communities in England within Government’s levelling up ambitions. Tourism is addressed within the report at pages 102 to 111:
Strategies/Action Plans:
Visit England Coastal Towns Action Plan 2010: VE FINALSeaside Welsh Assembly Government now Welsh Government Coastal Strategy 2006 (executive summary): WAG Coastal Summary BRADA Seaside And Coastal Towns Manifesto Group Issues for Stakeholders 2008; 2008 Seaside And Coastal Towns Manifesto Group
British Destinations