ESSEX’S main seaside resorts are thriving when it comes to the number of people being employed in the tourism industry.

A new report has revealed 3,400 people are employed in tourism in Southend, while 1,900 are employed in Clacton.

A further 600 work in Harwich, and 100 are employed in West Mersea. Thousands more are supported indirectly by the industry.

The study, by Sheffield Hallam University, also found the number of people working in the industry was growing every year.

Blackpool came out top in the study and was found to have 19,000 people employed in tourism.

Ian Robertson, Southend councillor responsible for leisure and tourism, said: “It is an excellent study. At long last it gives us some actual detail – when it comes to investing in tourism, you are always competing.

“We came out quite well in Southend.

“It is all good news and I am delighted to hear it – it is a base Southend can build on.”

Tendring Council spends thousands of pounds promoting the north-east Essex coast and recently launched an ambitious seven-year plan designed to boost tourism in the area.

The council’s own figures say the industry is worth £276million to the district and responsible for more than 6,000 jobs – more than one in eight of the population.

Prof Steve Fothergill, who led the latest research, said: “That a large seaside tourist industry has survived and adapted is good news, not just for seaside towns, but for the British economy as a whole.

“Leisure and tourism is a growing market. What our figures show is that even in the face of stiff competition from holidays abroad, Britain’s seaside towns have been able to retain and even expand much of their core business.”