Tees Valley tourism passes £1.5bn as visitor numbers rise

Tees Valley’s visitor economy passed £1.5 billion in 2025 after the number of visits rose to 21.26 million, according to new figures published by the Combined Authority.

The estimated annual economic impact increased by £141 million, a rise of ten per cent on the previous year and almost 50 per cent compared with 2019. Visitor numbers were up four per cent.

More visitors, longer stays and local spending

The figures go beyond day-trip totals. Around 2.3 million overnight visitors stayed in the region, two per cent more than the year before. The authority said that increase ran against a national decline in overnight domestic stays.

Direct visitor spending reached £1.1 billion. Food and drink was the largest part of that total, generating £510 million and accounting for 45 per cent of visitor expenditure. The wider tourism economy was estimated to support 13,488 jobs.

Those numbers matter to more than hotels and attractions. Visitor spending reaches cafés, pubs, restaurants, shops, taxis, event suppliers and high streets across all five boroughs.

A year of reasons to visit

The 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway brought an international audience to the region. The Tour of Britain Women, Middlesbrough Mela and Saltburn Food Festival were among the other events cited as drivers of visits.

Work between Tees Valley Combined Authority and the five local councils has also secured Local Visitor Economy Partnership status, creating a formal link with VisitEngland and a route to coordinate promotion and support for tourism businesses.

The statistics use the STEAM model, a system widely used by UK local authorities to estimate tourism volume, value and employment. As with any economic model, the results are estimates rather than a literal count of every pound, but they allow the region to compare performance from year to year on a consistent basis.

The 2026 programme has more potential draws, including the Turner Prize at MIMA, the BBC Proms in Middlesbrough and Stockton’s new Waterfront Urban Park. The challenge is to convert attention around major events into return visits and overnight stays across the wider area.

The strongest message in the 2025 figures is not simply that more people came. They stayed, ate, shopped and supported work in local businesses, pushing the economic value of tourism to a new level.

Source: Visitor, spending and employment figures were checked against the Tees Valley Combined Authority report of 13 July 2026. Image: Tees Valley Combined Authority.