Visit Bath has announced that the 2018 Bath Christmas Market will run from Thursday 22nd November to Sunday 9th December this year, and revealed that over 409,000 visited the event last year.
Confirmation of the 2018 dates coincided with the publication of key results of a survey commissioned to assess the impact of the 2017 Bath Christmas Market on Bath’s economy.
The survey revealed an estimated spend of £29.4 million outside of the market itself, the largest amount ever seen in the event’s 17 years, and a 40% increase on 2016.
The survey also showed that an estimated 409,000 people visited the market and an estimated £10.7 million was spent within the market, supporting over 200 stallholders – 87% of which are from Bath and the South West.
Bath charities also benefitted from the 2017 Christmas Market, with £12,000 being distributed to various local causes.
David James, Chief Executive said: “We are absolutely delighted with the results of the 2017 Bath Christmas Market and the income that it brought to the city – the most we have ever seen in the event’s history.”
“We worked hard to improve the visitor experience by spreading chalets out further and working with Bath Business Improvement District to create engaging community events in outer parts of the city centre – this clearly had a very positive impact on the visitor spend in the shops, restaurants, hotels and other local businesses, as well as on the overall atmosphere.
“Bath Christmas Market is the highest earning event Bath has and is crucial in supporting the city’s economy.”
The survey revealed that the quality and range of stalls, together with site decoration and improved lighting increased visitor satisfaction levels in general.
Shopping outside of the market, eating in a restaurant and visiting an attraction such as Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths were the three most popular activities other than shopping in the market.
Over 1,200 visitors were interviewed for the survey carried out by The South West Research Company.
Visitor numbers are estimated from an accumulation of statistics gathered from Great Western Railway, footfall counters, First Bus, Bath’s car parks, coach companies and the Park and Ride.
The visitor spend and impact on the economy is calculated by gaining an average spend per visitor and then using an industry standard multiplication method.
