Coventry’s visitor economy has increased to a value of £495m and tourism in the city is recovering at a quicker rate than the wider region, according to new research.
Major events including Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture have played a key role in the growth of the city’s visitor economy, with figures for 2021 showing an increase of £265m on 2020 statistics.
This has been revealed in an economic impact report on tourism in the city, which was commissioned by its DMO, Destination Coventry.
The report, which uses data from the 2021 calendar year, has been formulated by Global Tourism Solutions using its STEAM (Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor) model.
The model highlights how many visitors are attracted to a destination and how much they spend in the local economy. It uses local data including attractions footfall, car park usage, festival and event statistics, and hotel market data to formulate the report.
Key findings
Figures indicate growth across all areas of the tourism sector in Coventry, including in the number of beds available at hotels and other accommodation in the city, as well as overall visitor numbers.
The city attracted 8.2m visitors during the year and has developed a further 1,722 more beds across the city to accommodate visitors.
Visitor numbers peaked in July and August, when the UK City of Culture year was at its peak, and the city emerged from pandemic restrictions.
The figures also showed a quicker rate of recovery in Coventry in comparison to the wider West Midlands, with visitor numbers up 103% in Coventry from 2020 to 2021, with figures for the West Midlands Combined Authority region showing a 72% increase.
Coventry’s visitor economy also supported almost 5,400 jobs in 2021, up from around 2,700 the previous year.
The results also show overnight spend per head was £220.56 and day visitor spend was at £40.46, which were both record levels in 2021, while the percentage of overnight visitors remained steady at 11%.
Paul Jones, managing director, Destination Coventry, said: “We are pleased with the rate of recovery that the visitor economy has seen in Coventry and how that has accelerated ahead of some of our neighbouring regions.
“We are expecting another strong set of results for 2022 as the city continues to reap the benefits of City of Culture and other major international events.”
Councillor Jim O’Boyle cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change, added: “It’s great to see such positive figures for this really important sector – which is vital to job creation and the economic success of the city.”
