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Will the Tall Ships really put wind in the sails of the region’s tourist industry?

AS CROWDS bid farewell to the Tall Ships this week businesses have been totting up the success of Hartlepool’s historic event.

The races saw an estimated one million visitors descend on the North East seaside town over four days bringing in a predicted £16m boost to the local economy.

Bdaily caught with mayor Stuart Drummond after the final celebrations to find out the impact the event had on the seaside town.

BD: There was a huge amount of hype surrounding the event, did it live up to expectations?

SD: I had extremely high hopes for the event and I think it’s fair to say that it surpassed all expectations. I had a bet with one of the organisers at the beginning of the Tall Ships. He said thing people would ask me most is when are the Tall Ships coming back? I didn’t believe him but I lost my fiver two days ago. It has genuinely has pulled the town together. We’re about to embark on a difficult few months as a town financially with all the cuts in the public sector about to happen, so I think it’s given people a new lease on life in difficult times and I thank the Tall Ships for that.

BD: Has the event really put Hartlepool on the map?

SD: Our target was to bring in one million visitors and we were so close to hitting that, I think we clocked in at 970,000, which is a great effort. So many of those people would have been from outside of the area and first timers to Hartlepool and I’m genuinely confident they will come back again. It was the first time many of the captains of the ships had paid us a visit and they were impressed with what they saw and how welcome they were made to feel. The organisers were delighted as well, so everything bodes well for the future. It certainly has put us on the map. Long may Hartlepool’s association with the Tall Ships continue.

BD: What were your personal highlights?

SD: There were highlights every day to be honest. Seeing the ships come in for the first time earlier last week. The Indonesian vessel was incredible. They came in all singing and dancing and that kicked things off perfectly. It’ll last in my memory for a long long time. I attended the captain’s dinner on the Saturday night and that was fantastic. They’re a notoriously difficult bunch to please but we got on so well. The crew parade on Sunday, our busiest day, made for a cracking atmosphere. It took a bit longer that we had bargained for but it was amazing nevertheless. The evenings were great thanks to the bands and the acts that we had on. I was lucky enough to take part in the parade of sail on the last day as well, the weather was awful but the views around the bay were fantastic and it was a sight that this coast never would have seen before.

BD: Some people have a negative view of Tees Valley as a destination, what would you say to those people?

SD: People do have big perceptions about the North East in general, particularly the Tees Valley it seems. People who haven’t been here are always shocked and see what a great little place it really is. This was our big chance to showcase our town and judging by the comments I don’t think anyone has gone away disappointed. I think we’ll be looked at in a completely different light from now on.

BD: Why should people visit Hartlepool and Tees Valley?

SD: The welcome people get here is second to none and I’ve always called Hartlepool the biggest village in the country, but I’m not sure that I’ll be able to call it that now after the week we’ve just had. We always welcome strangers to the town and I’m not sure many other places could say that. We need to make sure we continue with the big events so we can keep them coming. People are buzzing with ideas and are full of enthusiasm, so we need to bottle that and take the town forward. We’re dedicated to mapping out our future, we don’t want things just to fall flat and end.

BD: Will Hartlepool stage another major event soon and do you have the infrastructure to support it?

SD: To host something with the magnitude of the Tall Ships for the first time says a lot about our character and we’ve gained a hell of experience from it. We don’t want all of this to go to waste. The next time the races come to these waters is 2014 and bid has to be in by the end of the month. It maybe a little ambitious to go for that and I know Newcastle have got their eye on it but we’ll be throwing our hat in the ring at some point, definitely

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .