The visitor economy in the west of England is reported to be worth a record £2.46 billion and supports 46,000 jobs, according to latest research figures from Visit West.
The accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) Visit West represents the tourism industry across Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset, with this latest research outlining 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 visits to the region grew by 21% to 957,000, just 14% behind the pre-pandemic record high in 2019. Bristol is listed as the 7th most visited destination by inbound visitors, and Bath came 11th (joint with Cardiff) as combined staying visits to the region have increased in total by 2%, with an encouraging increase in spend of 7%. 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 3% to 2.86 million, however, the number of domestic day visitors to the region increased by 5%. Domestic day visitors to the region spent 22% more than the previous year, and 10% more than in 2019, despite the number of day visitors being 15% 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 £409m), food and drink businesses (£342m) and accommodation (£200m).For many businesses, this visitor spend is a critical part of their income.
Visit West’s Managing Director Kathryn Davis says: “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.
