Eight million people visit Brighton and Hove every year - equivalent to 27 times the city's permanent population.

This month, national tourism agency VisitBritain revealed the number of people coming to the UK has doubled in the last 25 years, but the amount each tourist spends has gone down from £740 to £470. Visitors stay for an average of eight nights, spending £59 a day.

In Brighton and Hove, however, the situation is rather brighter.

Day visitors spend an average of £28, while overnight guests spend a whopping £150 - almost three times the national figure.

There are five times more day visitors than overnight guests.

The city is welcoming increasing numbers to its many festivals, events, hotels and attractions, although shopkeepers say they are not spending as much as they used to.

This year is likely to be a bumper one. The 40th Brighton Festival takes place in May and the Theatre Royal is celebrating its 200th birthday.

Stanmer Park stately home and gardens on the outskirts of the city is opening for the first time for conferences and weddings.

It will also be the first full year of civil partnerships, which should also boost the tourist economy. More than 500 gay and lesbian couples have registered to "marry" in Brighton and Hove in 2006. They are expected to bring with them wedding parties who will stay in hotels and spend at restaurants and shops.

The ceremonies will take place at venues including the Royal Pavilion.

Adam Bates, head of tourism at Brighton and Hove City Council, said: "You only have to go to Blackpool and Eastbourne to know we are not like other seaside destinations. We have events and festivals. We have a very creative population that is always creating new things. There is a local business that this year wants to create opera on the beach. Things like that you don't get in other places.

"It is partly on the back of investment. It is not just about the council working to improve the street scene and public areas. It is also about what businesses are doing. We have got attractions putting in applications to make changes.

"It isn't luck. It isn't chance. We are more sustainable as a destination."

Mr Bates, who took up his post a two years ago, said there were few historical figures with which to compare current visitor numbers because data had not been collected in that way in the past.

He said: "VisitBritain is principally looking at inbound tourism to the UK. In Brighton we are looking at a combination of inbound and domestic.

"There are some similarities with what is going on. Numbers generally have grown. In some senses we are better off."

Councillor Sue John, chair of the council's culture and tourism sub-committee, said: "We are pretty pleased. The city isn't just holding its own; it's punching above its weight. It is maintaining its European and international reputation.

"We have certainly got no cause for concern. The local tourism market seems very buoyant. New people are coming into the city. I think what protects us is the conference trade.

"The city is a lot cleaner than it was a few years ago. Communal bins have helped with first impressions. There is a new public space at Jubilee Square. I think people feel safer because it is quite well lit. If you eat out it gets better."

One of Brighton's major attractions is its marina, opened by the Queen in 1979 and attracting increasing numbers of people every year.

Marketing manager Kirsty Harris said: "Visitors are on the up.

"Footfall is up, we know that from the use of our car park. We have never had a parking problem here. It is a nice problem. It shows the scheme is turning itself around. It is becoming a success in its own right.

"The number of unlet units is down to three. The interest is there."

The busiest times of year at the marina are Easter and autumn. Poor weather does not necessarily mean people stay away as there are indoor entertainment centres at the cinema, the bowling alley and the casino.

Ms Harris said: "It isn't just shopping, eating and sailing. We are open all year."

Ms Harris said the redevelopment of the Black Rock site would help and she hoped the international sand sculpting competition would take place again this summer.

She said: "It is hard to explain to tourists that across this piece of waste land is the marina.

"The sand sculptures last year connected us with the city and certainly increased our visitors.

"It looks like it is scheduled to come back this year."

The marina has installed fake palm trees and mermaids and is working with the Arts Commission to create a permanent lighting display near the entrance.

John "The Rock" Haslem, who runs Palace Pier Rock Shop and sells seafood on the seafront, said there seemed to be the same number of visitors but people did not stay as long and spent less.

He said: "The parking is diabolical.

"We lose one hell of a lot of people staying and spending money because of the price of the parking. That is a minus, that's for sure."

In the past, Mr Haslem said, tourists might visit for the whole day.

But now pressures of transport meant they were likely to come for a shorter period - and the high cost of living meant they spent less money.

He has been running shops on the pier and seafront for 25 years.

He said: "If they haven't got the money to spend, they just shorten the hours they visit for. People spend on the necessities and tourism is the last thing along the line."

Wednesday, January 18, 2006