A Tale of Two Cities
Blackpool is ranked first amongst the UK’s premier holiday resorts, attracting 10 million visitors a year who between them spend around £500 million in the area. It has a seafront stretching seven miles and is mainly an urban area covering some 17 square miles. It Is the sub regional centre for a population of over 250,000 on the Fylde coast.
The image of a successful, lively town however, masks some starker facts. In keeping with many UK resorts, the tourism industry has been in decline with visitor numbers falling by 5 million in the last five years. It has been recognised by the government as being the 12th most deprived local district authority in the country with the sixth lowest local gross value added per capita of anywhere in the North West. Low earnings combined with high seasonal unemployment are typical in an area that also attracts a transient population to service the seasonal nature of the tourism industry.