MORE than 7 million people took a trip to Christchurch and Poole town centres over the festive period, according to new data.

The figures, released by BCP Council, showed an increase in footfall in both towns during seven weeks around the Christmas period.

Poole saw 4.81m people take a trip to the town centre, while Christchurch welcomed 2.47m visitors.

In Bournemouth, 5.68 million people visited the town centre and Christmas Tree Wonderland – an average of 125,000 visitors every day, taking the overall total to almost 13m.

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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.”

Christchurch welcomed almost 2.5 million visitors over Christmas. Picture: Google

Paul Kinvig, COO 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.”

The figures come as retailers announced mixed results for Christmas 2024.

The likes of Aldi and Caffe Nero celebrated ‘record’ sales, while Primark was among chains reporting a slump in sales when compared to previous years.