January 2026
New figures show that the Lancaster district’s visitor economy surged in 2024 and generated an impressive £648.3 million in economic impact while welcoming 7.13 million visitors.
The figures come from the latest STEAM report and reveal a destination that’s not just growing, but thriving, with longer stays, higher spend, with a stronger tourism offer than ever before.
The City of Lancaster led the way with a 14% increase on 2023, pushing its tourism value to £174.8 million as 2.58 million visitors flocked to its heritage and hospitality.
Morecambe followed with £192.9 million, buoyed by its iconic seafront and events, and the sector now supports 1,910 jobs, underlining the town’s role as a cornerstone of the local economy.
Carnforth and Silverdale meanwhile delivered £131 million through quality, experience-led tourism, with South Lancaster and rural areas rising 7.5% to £149.7 million, proving the appeal of hidden gems and countryside escapes.
District-wide trends show that staying visitors are driving value, with longer breaks and higher spend making Lancaster and Morecambe Bay a destination to savour.
Lancashire annual STEAM research (Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor) is a model used by many Destination Management Organisations.
It uses locally derived data from a variety of sources such as hotels, attractions, tourist information centres, events and accommodation to estimate the number of visitors, revenue generated and employment supported by tourism.
The model provides a continuous tourism economic impact dataset which reveals trends and helps highlight areas of particular growth or in need of support.
