A new report which has ranked Aberdeen as seventh for spending by overnight visitors in UK cities has highlighted that investments in the city are ‘paying dividends’, Aberdeen City Council has said.
The figures in the Spending time: the role of the visitor economy in UK cities report, by Centre for Cities, covers from June 2022 until June 2024, a period in which ‘significant’ improvements in Aberdeen were undertaken as part of the local authority’s £150 million city centre and beach masterplan.
An average of £107.60 was spent per person visiting Aberdeen for an overnight stay, with £42 being spent by those on day visits. The data is based on analysis of over 30 million geolocated card transactions by UK cardholders – with it not including online or pre-booked services and experiences.
‘Local’ spend was determined with reference to each card user’s home location, travel-to-work area and any other regular clusters of spending in their transaction history (eg associated with places of work or study), with the remainder classed as ‘visitor’ spend.
Aberdeen City Council co-leader councillor Ian Yuill, said, “We know that Aberdeen is a great city to live and work, however this report highlights its appeal to overnight visitors too. The figures in the report cover June 2022 to June 2024, a period when significant improvements in the city began as part of a £150million commitment by Aberdeen City Council towards the city centre and beach master plan.
“These improvements continue at pace and will ensure that Aberdeen continues to be a city where people want to live, work, play and visit.”
Aberdeen City Council co-leader councillor Christian Allard, added, “It is clear that our investment in the city is paying dividends. There are huge opportunities for local businesses to be part of the unique offering Aberdeen has for people living here and visitors alike. We want to continue to build on our offering to attract more people to spend time here and for longer, which will benefit the local and regional economy.”
