By Harry Mottram: Dates for this year’s famous Bath Christmas Market have been announced alongside official visitor figures for the 2022 event – which boosted the local economy by an estimated £50 million said the Council.
Bath Christmas Market will open this year on Thursday November 23 and run for 18 days closing on Sunday December 10 with applications for stall holders opening mid-April.
Details from an independent survey of 900 people carried out by The South West Research company, revealed the 2022 market attracted an estimated 426,000 visitors over the 18-day event – which was up from 403,000 in 2019. The research also estimated the market boosted business in the city some £20 million pounds compared to the year before.
More than 900 people were questioned in the survey which revealed the proportion of visitors to the market, who stayed in the city as part of their trip increased during 2022, along with the amount they spent on their accommodation during their stay compared with 2019. The majority of staying visitors said they would consider returning for another short break at another time of the year.
More than 200 traders and 36 charities took part in the market. Bath & North East Somerset Council took over the running of the event in 2020 with a layout of the 178 chalets selling seasonal gifts, food and drink plus last year new Christmas Carts were introduced. Feedback from both visitors and stallholders has been overwhelmingly positive, with 95% of stallholders reporting a successful market and 95% of visitors saying they’d now consider returning to Bath at another point in the year.
Data from an independent survey of visitors to the market commissioned by the council reveals almost half come every year. In addition:
75% who visited Bath over the period came solely because of the Christmas market.
37% stayed for an average of 2.4 nights.
74% shopped outside the market.
79% ate a meal in a local restaurant.
48% came on foot or used public transport.
More information for stall holders for the 2023 market will be added to the Christmas Market website in the coming weeks and those wishing to apply can sign up to the mailing list here https://bathchristmasmarket.co.uk/
However not everyone is a fan as some of these remarks left on Trip Advisor suggest. They include these less than five-star reviews:
“Very disappointed. The market is completely overcrowded, and you can’t actually even get to the stalls, parking around the area is also near impossible. Definitely won’t be going again.”
“Have always loved The Both Christmas Market but I am afraid it was a let-down. It was Friday 2nd December walking around absolutely no Christmas atmosphere, no music with the exception of some buskers, far too many food stalls, just not Christmassy at all. Big let-down! Sorry Bath.”
“After wanting to visit for years I was so excited to make the 2-hour journey to Bath specifically for the Xmas market. What a lot of tat, clearly bulk bought from China and being sold at over inflated prices because it was in ‘Bath’ nothing new to see on the stalls, and there definitely were not 170 stalls as advertised. Don’t bother going if you are planning to, overcrowded, dismal and disappointing.”
Also there was criticism of the amount of coaches coming to the market. Frome Nub News reported that Cllr Winston Duguid told the Council’s scrutiny meeting: “Those that I have known that have lived here for 30 years have never seen Bath so packed as it was on Saturday. I was called out to look at 26 coaches on Wellsway and when I went up to Odd Down park & ride, the extended facility for coaches was full. And for the first time in my experience of living in Bath, the Odd Down park & ride was full.”
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