A string of new hotels planned for Brighton and Hove provides concrete evidence the city is bucking the global recession.

Despite the drop in overseas visitors following the events of September 11, the local market remains buoyant.

Even the city's oldest hotel, the 17th Century Old Ship in King's Road, is planning to expand to meet a predicted increase in visitors.

General manager Arnold Schnegg has applied for planning permission to build a 30-bed wing at the back, bringing the number of rooms up to 190.

He said: "We're confident we would get the trade. It has been a difficult year for many places with foot-and-mouth and then the disaster in New York but as a hotel we didn't suffer at all."

The restored confidence is partly due to the appeal of Brighton and Hove's new city status drawing in the lucrative conference market.

Amanda Shepherd, the city council's head of tourism, said multi-national companies, some of which plan their annual get-togethers up to a decade in advance, were treating the city with a new-found respect.

She said: "We've had a fantastic amount of investment over the past five years and that means, despite the global situation, we're in a strong position.

"The investment is proof that other people, including major national companies, share that confidence."

Regent Inns has put in plans for a 48-bed hotel on a derelict site next to the Walkabout bar in South Street, providing up to ten jobs.

Hotel Du Vin plans to open a 35-room premises on the site of Bar Centro in Ship Street, creating 40 jobs.

The £5.5 million application is backed by Body Shop entrepreneurs Anita and Gordon Roddick.

Brighton Marina is becoming a focus for growth with 1,200 jobs at a call centre, a casino, shops and a budget hotel.

Plans for a 400-room hotel are the centrepiece of proposals for the redevelopment of land next to Brighton railway station.

Giles Paul, general manager of the Belgrave and chairman of the city's Major Hotels Group, which represents the 13 biggest hotels in the area, said he welcomed the prospect of future growth.

He said: "There's still a shortage of rooms in the city during the major conference times and there's a need for a wider variety of accommodation.

"We're seeing an influx of budget accommodation with the Premier Lodge and the Marina developments which are proving very successful.

"But with something like the Hotel Du Vin, which appeals to the higher end of the market, we're seeing a broadening of the range to appeal to different customers.

"The future development of the Brighton Centre should again affirm Brighton as a major conference venue and when that happens we will need these extra facilities."