Hartlepool enjoys tourism boost as visitor numbers increase following pandemic

Hartlepool Borough Council officers called on the town to get better at shouting about the “special one off offer” the town has for people in terms of tourism.

Councillors at this week’s council economic growth and regeneration committee heard how areas such as Seaton have seen a boost in visitor numbers following the pandemic.

Bev Bearne, council assistant director for development and growth, said it is important this is used to help encourage more people to spend days out in Hartlepool.

She continued: “Just seeing some of the benefits that the town has observed as a result of Covid in terms of local people looking for different places to go when they haven’t been able to travel abroad on holiday.

“In particular the impact that Seaton has seen as a result of people coming and wanting to spend time in the local area and rediscovering what Hartlepool has to offer.

“That can only set us on a really good platform going forward in terms of the impact that we can make on the back of some of the investment that’s about to come into the town.”

Investment coming into Hartlepool includes projects such as the new Highlight leisure centre as part of the £50million council capital programme.

Ms Bearne added they now need to look at sustaining and continuing to grow the number of people coming to experience what Hartlepool has to offer.

She said: “How do we maximise that momentum that we’ve now got on the back of what Covid has presented in terms of tourism.

“Hartlepool does have a very special one off offering in comparison to some of our neighbouring authorities.

“We probably just need to be a bit better at telling people about it and singing about it and sharing that and encouraging people in.”

She added they also need to look at “some of the barriers” people experience getting into Hartlepool, such as connectivity and navigating around the town.

Improving connectivity between the Waterfront, town centre and railway station is one of the projects set to benefit from investment as part of Hartlepool’s £25million Towns Deal.