In light of English Tourism Week starting on 15 March, Visit West has revealed new research, estimating the region’s tourism value at £2.13bn.
The statistics suggest that 79% of staying visitors are from within the UK, and 21% are international visitors. Accounting for almost half of the spending in the region are day trips, while food & drink and retail together constitute almost 60% of all visitor expenditure.
Further research funded by The West of England Combined Authority investigated why visitors come to the region, indicating that specific venues or attractions such as The Ivy, the Roman Baths, Clifton Suspension Bridge, and Brunel’s SS Great Britain are the reasons for their visit to the region.
Furthermore, 30% of people were influenced to visit by seeing the region on screen, with influential shows such as Bridgerton impacting their choices.
Kathryn Davis, managing director of Visit West said: ““English Tourism Week is a chance to really celebrate what the industry means to the local economy and to understand its importance to the Visit West region.”
In 2023, Visit West was awarded the local visitor economy partnership by Visit England.
