Brighton Pride's £20 million boost to city economy

The study by TSE Research – the commercial research arm of Tourism South East – showed that visitors to Brighton and Hove over Pride weekend boosted the local economy by more than £20.5 million.

The research, commissioned by Brighton Pride CIC, evaluated the economic impact of the Brighton Pride Festival 2018 on the local visitor economy based on the expenditure of non-local visitors attending the event.

It also considered the economic spill-over into the wider regional economy as a result of ‘the multiplier impact’. This is when businesses receiving income from visitors through the purchase of their goods and services, in turn re-spend.

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TSE estimated that the Brighton Pride Festival generated a gross economic impact of £26.8 million for businesses in the city and that a further £5 million was generated for businesses across the region through multiplier effects, providing a total gross impact of £31.7 million.

The net impact is defined as the additional expenditure which arises in the local area and in the region as a direct result of the event.

Paul Kemp, managing director of Brighton and Hove Pride, said: “Tourism and events in our city are the lifeblood of our city’s economy and what makes Brighton and Hove stand out as a visitor destination.

“Many small local businesses reply on the annual income from Pride and other events to stay in business all year round.

“With the additional £250,000 in fundraising for local good causes announced last week, I’m pleased that Pride can have such a huge impact on the city’s economy and help support a wide range of community projects across our city.”

The research by TSE is mirrored by Brighton and Hove Pride’s annual survey which this year showed 84 per cent of ticket purchasers had been to a previous Brighton and Hove Pride and 65 per cent came from outside the Brighton and Hove city area.

Of those visiting the city, 57 per cent arrived by train and 32 per cent stayed overnight in either hotel or B&B accommodation.