• Swindon & Wiltshire Economy
• Friday December 20 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

West visitor economy was worth record £246 billion last year – report

The visitor economy of Bristol, Bath and the West region was worth a record £246 billion last year, and supported 46,000 jobs, according to new statistics from tourism body Visit West.

The figures show the region’s steady recovery since the pandemic and in the face of the cost of living crisis.

Inbound international visits have seen a particular rise, as tourism in the region grew by 21 per cent to 957,000, just 14 per cent behind the pre-pandemic record high in 2019.

Bristol is the UK’s seventh most visited destination by inbound visitors, and Bath came 11th as combined staying visits to the region have increased in total by two per cent, with an encouraging increase in spend of seven per cent.

While the number of international day visitors is currently not tracked, it is known to have a significant impact to the sector.

According to the research – which reports on the volume and value of the visitor economy in 2023 – domestic staying visits from UK tourists fell by three per cent to 2.86 million. However, the number of domestic day visitors to the region increased by five per cent.

Domestic day visitors to the region spent 22 per cent more than the previous year, and 10 per cent more than in 2019, despite the number of day visitors being 15 per cent lower than that record year.

Visit West’s overarching strategy is to encourage people to stay longer in the region, maximising their stay exploring what the west has to offer, with spend supporting high streets and small businesses in particular.

The research outlines the biggest beneficiaries of visitor spend being the retail sector (an estimated £409 million), food and drink businesses (£342 million) and accommodation (£200 million).

For many businesses, this visitor spend is a critical part of their income.

Visit West’s managing director Kathryn Davis said: “We are delighted that the industry continues to strengthen post Covid, and while we are nearly into 2025, we can see from our own data that 2024 in general looks to have built on the 2023 recovery.

“Operating conditions for businesses remain incredibly challenging and we will continue to lobby for those working in the visitor economy, and continue to develop strong routes to market through our work with the travel trade, meeting and event organisers and through our consumer channels Visit Bath and Visit Bristol.”

“We are looking forward to a strong 2025 with demand from Jane Austen 250, Women’s Rugby World Cup, and VisitBritain’s national campaign Starring Great Britain celebrating film and TV locations.”

Data for 2024 will be available in late 2025.