To answer Fiona Train (Opinion, July 28), visitors bring £380 million a year into the local economy, supporting 13,000 jobs in hundreds of businesses across Brighton and Hove.
Visitor money does not only go into hotels, tourist attractions and host families, it supports shops, restaurants, bars, pubs, cafes, clubs, theatres, taxis and buses.
It also helps maintain jobs in all the support businesses - accountants, solicitors, laundries, wholesalers and delivery services.
Without visitors, the city would be very different, with companies going out of business, higher unemployment and empty and derelict areas in the city centre.
Facilities enjoyed by local people would close, making the city less attractive to business investors in every sector. Numbers at the universities would drop.
While there are costs involved in extra services for visitors, these are recognised in government grants. Brighton and Hove Council has a duty to ensure the economic well being of the people of Brighton and Hove. Supporting the visitor economy is key to that.
-Amanda Shepherd, head of city marketing, Brighton and Hove Council
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