Output (GVA)
This sector contributed £339m (GVA) to the Somerset economy in 2020, roughly 3.1% of all economic output in the county. At the lower-tier local authority area the GVA contribution is spread fairly evenly across each area; 24% from South Somerset (£80.4), 34% from Somerset West and Taunton (£116m), 21% from Mendip (£71.4m), and 21% from Sedgemoor (£71.53m).
Employment (FTE)
Tourist industries accounted for more than 18,964 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs in Somerset in 2020, roughly 8.5% of all jobs. These jobs are spread fairly evenly across the lower-tier authority areas in Somerset, but in proportional terms this makes for a far greater concentration of employment in Somerset West & Taunton (9.4%) and Mendip (9.7%).
Productivity (GVA/FTE)
Productivity in the tourist industries is typically quite low, due largely to the lower wages commanded by this sector (e.g. hospitality). In 2020 productivity in the sector was £17,890 in Somerset, which is nearly 37% of the average productivity for the county of £48,440. Nationally, productivity in this sector is higher at £60,720. Productivity in this sector varies across the lower-tier areas in Somerset but is lowest in Mendip (£17,340) and highest in Sedgemoor (£18,410).
Source: Economic Model for Somerset and the Heart of the South West (HotSW) Local Enterprise Partnership, 2022