Tourism on Hampshire's coast

One of the greatest attractions on the Hampshire coast is its rich defence and maritime heritage mainly found in the historic ports of Portsmouth, Gosport and Southampton. The Historic ships at Portsmouth attract nearly half a million visitors a year; castles and museums on the coast attract a further 370,000 visitors. Visitors to the coast will also find a rich heritage of shipwrecks, jetties, piers and promenades. Hampshire also offers a number of attractive coastal villages to visit.

Hampshire also attracts large numbers of visitors to its countryside coastal locations, such as the New Forest, as well as its country parks and beaches.

As the Solent is the main area in the country for national and international sailing events, many thousands of visitors come each year to participate or as spectators. Hampshire has a diverse selection of harbours and marinas on offer to the visitor.

Over a 1/4 of a million people visited the International Festival of the Sea in Portsmouth in 2005, making it one of the largest events of its kind in the world.

More information on leisure and tourism in Hampshire can be found if you follow this link to the Hantsweb Pages or to Tourism South East