Tourism And Leisure
Tourism and Leisure is an important industry for Gosport bringing around £79million to the local economy and supporting almost 2500 jobs.
Visitors are attracted to the Borough by its 24 miles of waterfront, easily accessible marinas, safe panoramic beaches, impressive naval heritage, scenic countryside walks, sporting facilities and historic trails.
- One of the top attractions for visitors is the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, which is now part of the National Museum of the Royal Navy.
- Here HMS Alliance (the only Second World War era British submarine left in the world) is undergoing a £7million renovation, which includes new interpretation, state of the art lighting and soundscapes, plus a new “Alliance” film with a voice-over from British Hollywood actor Ian McShane.
- Other popular attractions include Explosion! The Museum of Naval Firepower which displays a vast array of naval weapons and is also part of the National Museum of the Royal Navy.
- The Museum of Diving has one of the best collections of military, commercial and recreational diving equipment in Europe.
- The Hovercraft Museum houses the only collection of historic hovercraft in the world.
- At the re-enactment 17th Century Village ‘Little Woodham’ villlagers demonstrate the skills of the blacksmith, lace-makers, and weavers. Fort Brockhurst is an English Heritage owned Victorian Fort which is also now open to visitors.
The coastal areas of Lee-on-the-Solent and Stokes Bay offer safe swimming and watersports, children’s splash park, and skate park. The Alver Valley provides an area of unspoilt countryside to be explored via its cycle routes and walking trails. Sporting venues include the Gosport Leisure Centre, ‘Planet Ice’ Rink, Gosport BMX track, and ‘Team Sports’ Go-Karting track.
There is a range of accommodation to suit all budgets ranging from independent hotels, B&B’s, caravan/campsite, self-catering apartments through to a newly opened Premier Inn
