Sunday, August 31, 2025

Coastal businesses face challenges as visitor numbers drop

Coastal businesses in Skegness and Mablethorpe are experiencing a significant decline in visitor numbers compared to last year. Economic uncertainty is leading many families to reduce or cancel holiday plans, impacting businesses that rely heavily on tourism.

Councillor Courtney Robinson, representing Mablethorpe, highlighted the struggles faced by local businesses. Many regular visitors are cutting down their trips, with some making just one visit per year instead of several. This has left businesses depending on the summer holiday period for survival. Coastal communities, already economically disadvantaged, are particularly vulnerable when tourism drops.

Mary Powell, the council’s tourism manager, noted that all seaside resorts are facing similar downturns. She explained that when finances are tight, holidays are often the first expense families cut, leading to shorter stays and last-minute bookings that are harder for businesses to manage. The council is ramping up efforts to promote the coast during the summer and autumn months, though the current national mood presents additional challenges.

There is also a push to attract a younger demographic to coastal areas, traditionally favoured by older generations. Local leaders believe that re-engaging with younger visitors could be crucial in sustaining the local tourism economy, which contributes £3bn annually to Lincolnshire’s economy, though still below pre-pandemic levels.

 

Image shows Skegness. Credit: Stock.adobe.com/Duncan

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our news site - please take a moment to read this important message:

As you know, our aim is to bring you, the reader, an editorially led news site and magazine but journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them.

With the Covid-19 pandemic having a major impact on our industry as a whole, the advertising revenues we normally receive, which helps us cover the cost of our journalists and this website, have been drastically affected.

As such we need your help. If you can support our news sites/magazines with either a small donation of even £1, or a subscription to our magazine, which costs just £27.55 per year, (inc p&P and mailed direct to your door) your generosity will help us weather the storm and continue in our quest to deliver quality journalism.

As a subscriber, you will have unlimited access to our web site and magazine. You'll also be offered VIP invitations to our events, preferential rates to all our awards and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Just click here to subscribe and in the meantime may I wish you the very best.

Advertisment












Latest posts

Lincolnshire beaches expand access with specialist wheelchairs

More beaches along the Skegness coast are set to introduce free-to-use wheelchairs designed for sand, following the success of a scheme in Ingoldmells. The chairs...

One You Lincolnshire’s Exercise on Prescription programme to re-start for those affected by April closures

GLL, the charitable social enterprise appointed to run Yarborough and Birchwood Leisure Centres in Lincoln, has announced that it is honouring the ‘Exercise on...

Lincolnshire nurseries to access new SEN training with £5m funding

Nurseries in Lincolnshire and Rutland will benefit from a £5 million investment in special educational needs training, aimed at addressing the growing demand for...

Take on the Step-tember Challenge for Lincolnshire’s hospitals

Nurses and care teams across Lincolnshire’s four hospitals walk an average of four miles a day caring for patients and their families. That’s a lot of...

£100,000 grant fund opens for South Kesteven shopkeepers

A new £100,000 fund is open for shopkeepers in town centres to improve the front of their premises. Grants of up to £5,000 are available...

By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Close