Data & insight · Updated
Brighton Tourism Statistics
How many people visit Brighton & Hove, what they spend and the jobs tourism supports — compiled from official statistics; full sources are listed at the bottom of the page. Headline numbers are for 2024, the most recent full year. As a city destination, Brighton has no national-survey data on overseas source countries, so that section is not shown.
Visitor numbers
Visitors to Brighton & Hove
Brighton & Hove drew 12.2 million visitor trips in 2024 — up 3% on 2023 — of which 10.5 million were day trips and 1.67 million were overnight stays. (For context, 2019 saw about 12.4 million, but a change to the measurement model means earlier years aren’t directly comparable.)
Figures count trips, not unique people, and come from the local economic-impact model. The model was revised after 2020, so 2022 is the earliest strictly comparable year.
Visitor spending
What visitors spend
Visitors spent £979 million directly in Brighton & Hove in 2024. Once indirect and induced effects are added, tourism was worth £1.39 billion to the city — up 9% on 2023.
Direct visitor spend shown. The wider visitor-economy value, including supplier and wage multipliers, was £1.39bn in 2024.
Why they come
Purpose of visit
Among overnight visitors, two-thirds come on holiday and nearly a fifth to see friends or relatives. Day-trip purpose is not separately measured.
- Holiday 65%
- Visiting friends & relatives 18%
- Business 12%
- Study & other 5%
Overnight trips only, 2024.
Attractions
Brighton's most-visited attractions
Brighton Palace Pier is in a league of its own, with close to 4 million visitors a year — more than twenty times the Royal Pavilion, the city’s top paid attraction. Figures are each venue’s latest published count (the Pier for 2025; the museums for 2023–24).
Economic impact
Tourism in Brighton's economy
Tourism is a cornerstone of Brighton & Hove’s economy, supporting about one in six of all jobs in the city. Overnight visitors, though far fewer than day-trippers, account for the majority of visitor spending.
Tourism supports 19,397 full-time-equivalent jobs (25,677 actual), 18% of all employment. Visitor spending breaks down as shopping 30%, accommodation 24%, food & drink 20%, entertainment 15% and travel 11%.
At a glance
Fast facts
- 10.5m Day trips (2024)
- 1.67m Staying trips (2024)
- £1.39bn Total tourism value (2024)
- 24% Overseas share of overnight visitors
- ≈3.9m Brighton Palace Pier visitors (2025)
- 18% Tourism share of city employment
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many people visit Brighton each year?
Brighton & Hove drew 12.2 million visitor trips in 2024 — 10.5 million day trips and 1.67 million overnight stays. Figures count trips, not unique people.
How much is tourism worth to Brighton?
Tourism was worth £1.39 billion to Brighton & Hove in 2024, up 9% on 2023. Visitors spent £979 million directly; the rest is indirect and induced economic activity.
How many jobs does tourism support in Brighton?
About 25,677 jobs (19,397 full-time-equivalent) — roughly 18% of all employment in the city.
What is Brighton's most-visited attraction?
Brighton Palace Pier, with close to 4 million visitors a year — far ahead of the Royal Pavilion (about 160,000) and Brighton Museum & Art Gallery (about 36,000).
How long do visitors stay in Brighton?
Overnight visitors stay about 3.3 nights on average, for a total of 5.55 million visitor nights in 2024. Around 24% of overnight visitors come from overseas.
Using these figures?
Cite this page
Journalists, researchers and bloggers are welcome to use the statistics on this page. Please credit Brighton Tourism Statistics and link to this page.
Brighton Tourism Statistics (2026). Visitors, spending and trends — updated October 2026. https://www.brightontourismstatistics.com/
<a href="https://www.brightontourismstatistics.com/">Brighton Tourism Statistics</a> Notes & sources
Methodology & sources
This page compiles publicly available official statistics; the sources for every figure are listed below. Key caveats:
- Latest data. Headline figures are for 2024 from the Cambridge Economic Impact Model (Destination Research for VisitBrighton). The model was revised after 2020, so 2022 is the earliest strictly comparable year.
- What’s counted. Figures count trips, not unique people, and include both day visitors and overnight (“staying”) visitors.
- Economic value. Direct visitor spend is what visitors pay; the £1.39bn “visitor economy” value adds indirect and induced effects through supplier and wage multipliers.
- Attractions. Attraction figures come from each venue and mix years (the Pier’s ~3.9m is a 2025 estimate; museum counts are the 2023–24 financial year).
- What’s not available. As a city destination, Brighton has no official source-country breakdown, no published hotel-occupancy series and no city-level monthly seasonality, so those sections are omitted. The purpose split covers overnight visitors only.
Primary sources
- VisitBrighton / Destination Research — Economic Impact of Tourism — Brighton & Hove 2024 (Cambridge Economic Impact Model, the STEAM-equivalent commissioned by Brighton & Hove City Council).
- Brighton & Hove Museums — Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust Annual Report 2023–24 (attraction visitor numbers).
- Brighton & Hove News — Brighton Palace Pier visitor numbers, 2025.