Soaring numbers at Saltholme Reserve
A NEW Teesside tourist attraction has welcomed double the anticipated visitor numbers since opening this year.
Saltholme Wildlife Reserve and Discovery Park Valley, located between Middlesbrough and Hartlepool, has had more than 70,000 visitors since it opened at the beginning of the year, smashing its annual target of 35,000.
The news came as figures also revealed self-catering holiday properties in the region had had the best summer on record this year with occupancy levels up by 10% on 2008.
From July to September 2009 the occupancy rates for self-catering properties was 85%, the highest it has ever been since regional development agency One North East, took over responsibility for tourism in 2003.
B&Bs and guest houses across the region have also seen an increase in occupancy levels this summer from 52% in 2008 to 59% this year.
The news comes after national tourist organisation VisitEngland announced the number of holiday trips taken by UK residents to England in July this year was up by 40%, amounting to almost 2 million more holiday trips.
“2009 has been a challenging year for the region’s economy, but the tourism industry has continued to see a growth,” said Alan Clarke, chief executive of One North East.
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