BRIGHTON and Hove City Council is bucking the national trend which shows a drop in visits to the coast from people in the UK.

A survey by the National Trust has shown that the number of people visiting the coastline has declined by around a third in the last decade.

Too little time, overcrowded beaches and overpriced facilities are all reasons why people have chosen to neglect the British seaside, according to the survey of 5000 people, carried out by YouGov.

But Brighton and Hove's visitors have been growing by hundreds of thousands every year is still growing

The Economic Impact of Tourism study carried out for VisitBrighton in 2014 showed 10 million day trips were made to the city in 2014 with £355 million spent.

This is up from 9.5 million day trips with £336 million spent in 2013.

The figures for total trips to Brighton and Hove in 2014 were 11.43 million, with £873 million spent.

This was also up from 2013 with 10.9 million trips bringing in £830 million.

Councillor Adrian Morris, Brighton and Hove City Council’s spokesman for tourism and arts, said: “Brighton and Hove is bucking the trend identified in the National Trust survey, as day visitor numbers to the city have increased in recent years."

There was an estimated 4,926,000 nights spent in the city by tourists in 2014, up 2.1 per cent

“One of the probable reasons for this is that visitors to Brighton and Hove can experience both the ‘traditional’ aspects of visiting the seaside, alongside more contemporary ‘city-break based’ activities,” coun Morris said.

Soozie Campbell, chairman of the Brighton and Hove Tourism Alliance, said: “I think less people are coming to Brighton for the traditional bucket and spade holiday – we’ve positioned Brighton as a city-break destination where there is an abundance of nightlife, entertainment and food on offer.

The latest poll for the National Trust suggests there is a declining sense of being connected to the coast, with 14% of 18-24 year olds saying their happiest childhood memory is the sea, compared to 38% of over 55s.

To reconnect people with the coast, The National Trust is bringing the coast to landlocked cities with a full coastal sensory experience in the form of a giant interactive “Shellsphere.”

Gwen Potter, National Trust wildlife and countryside ranger, said: "I think the coast offers a real sense of togetherness when you visit with loved ones, and this is what makes the coast so special to me."