Our hometown is the chosen holiday destination for more visitors every year, but what is it that makes Hastings such a tempting resort?
Every year, a guide to Hastings and 1066 Country (which includes Battle, Bexhill, Rye, Herstmonceux and Pevensey) is produced and distributed across the country and the world. Tourists as far afield as Belgium, Holland and even Australia are won over by the area’s charm and decide to pay us a visit.
Besides giving the town a bustling feel, tourists give a big boost to Hastings’ economy, spending money in shops, restaurants and hotels. Visitors splash around £140 million in our town every year, and more than 3,500 locals make their living in tourism related jobs. More than two million day trips to Hastings are made every year, and around half a million more visitors stay for a longer trip.
Council marketing staff sell our town at exhibitions across Europe, handing out brochures in France and Belgium and Holland to encourage visitors across the Channel to our town. Hastings goes down very well in Belgium and every year we get more visitors from there than anywhere else in Europe. Besides the historical significance of 1066 Country, there’s a lot more to tempt tourists. Hastings’ rich fishing heritage and eccentric events, the charm of Rye’s cobbled streets, the chance to trace Norman steps at Battle Abbey, Bodiam’s fairytale castle and Herstmonceux’s Science Centre are just a few of the area’s gems.
It’s these visitor attractions that bring more than 2.5 million visitors to the area every year. Not forgetting, of course, the warm welcome offered to tourists in local restaurants, shops and hotels.
For those of us that live and work here, Hastings may not be our first choice holiday destination, but it seems there are plenty of people booking up and making their way. Our tourism website www.visit1066country.com gets 6,000 hits a week and during the busy summer season our tourist information centres are packed with new arrivals looking for places to go, things to see and beds to sleep in.
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This page last updated: 12/09/2006