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Tree-mendous growth as town centres enjoy bumper festive period

Millions of people enjoyed all that Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole had to offer this Christmas – with all three town centres reporting a year-on-year increase in visitors. Nearly 13million people made trips to the towns during the seven week festive period – an 11.4% increase when compared to last year.

The official footfall figures cement the three towns’ reputation as a must-visit destination at Christmas for both residents and tourists. In Bournemouth, 5.68 million people visited the town centre and Christmas Tree Wonderland – an average of 125,000 visitors every day. Poole saw 4.81million people enjoy a trip to the town centre and Christchurch welcomed 2.47 million visitors – meaning 12.96 million people visited the three town centres in just seven weeks.

Cllr Richard Herrett, Portfolio Holder for Destination, Leisure, and Commercial Operations at BCP Council, said: “Our town centres remain hugely important to our residents as well as our visitor economy, these latest footfall figures are a reminder of the importance major events – such as Christmas – play in making all of our town centres key destinations. Residents and tourists alike were able to come out and enjoy these free attractions whilst connecting with friends and families. I am really pleased to see the increase in visitors across our town centres at Christmas – amid particularly challenging national circumstances – with a million extra people visiting BCP compared to the same period last year and providing a boost to the local economy. I am delighted that more than 12 million people saw the best of what our three towns have to offer during the festive period – helping to support local businesses and our communities to thrive – and I hope to see many of them return throughout the year.”

Paul Kinvig, Chief Operating Officer at Bournemouth BID, said: “Bournemouth Town Centre was buzzing over the Christmas period, and we were delighted to see the fantastic energy and atmosphere reflected in a very significant increase in footfall.” Among the factors contributing to the success of the season was Festive Streets; brand new for this year, this series of fun family events every Thursday in locations around Bournemouth Town Centre was enjoyed by a multitude of shoppers and visitors in the run up to Christmas. It is a great addition to the Christmas offering in Bournemouth and has helped us significantly with planning activity for Christmas 2025.”