"Coventry sees huge surge in tourists from overseas"

[dutchman]

Coventry is one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the UK with visitors up 78 per cent



Coventry is one of the fastest growing destinations for overseas tourists in the UK.

Figures released from the annual international passenger survey state that the number of holiday trips to the city by foreigners rose from 14,894 in 2014 to 26,544 in 2015 – an increase of more than 78 per cent.

The average growth among the top ten tourist cities in the UK is just 4.6 per cent.

Coventry has now leapfrogged more traditional tourist traps like Guildford and Cheltenham and is now the 42nd most visited place in the UK for overseas holidaymakers. Stratford also appeared on the top 50 list in 29th with 60,870 visitors.

Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “Tourism is a crucial part of any region’s economy and it is fantastic news to see this area rising up the league table for overseas visitors.

“We are seeing lots of interest in Coventry from overseas investors too, especially from China and culture and tourism plays a big part in attracting new businesses into a region.

“That’s why we are supporting the city’s UK City of Culture bid for 2021 because we believe it would provide another boost for the region’s tourism and leisure sector and for the whole economy in general.

“This is definitely a sector which we believe can be grown in the coming years.”

According to the figures, Coventry is just behind Maidstone with 30,588 visits, Sheffield with 31,603 visits and Norwich who had up to 34,356 foreign tourists.

Overall, tourism trips to UK cities appear to be on the increase, although Coventry’s rise far outstripped the national average.

Members of Coventry’s 2021 City of Culture bid believe this is a great news for the city.

Laura McMillan, manager of the Coventry City of Culture Trust, said: “It’s great to see Coventry’s popularity among overseas tourists growing but it’s important that we recognise that the city has a huge amount of potential still to fulfil.

“Part of our bid to be UK City of Culture in 2021 is to showcase everything that is great about arts and culture in Coventry and we are really drawing out some great examples of that.

“From the Belgrade Theatre to Theatre Absolute and from the 2Tone Museum to the Herbert Art Gallery and from the Ricoh Arena to the Tin, not to mention the world renowned Coventry Cathedral, the city has a fantastic array of attractions.

“Through the bid for the UK City of Culture prize, we want to continue to raise the profile of the city as a place to visit but also to recognise where we have gaps that a winning bid could help us to fill in order to rise further up the list.”

Despite Coventry and Stratford’s success, Rugby, Kenilworth, Nuneaton, Bedworth and Warwick failed to make the cut and did not feature in the top 50.

The data was collected by asking people entering the UK various questions about the purpose of their visit.

Coun Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for Business, Enterprise and Employment said: “Coventry is a great city and has a lot to offer visitors. I’m delighted that more and more people are recognising this and coming to visit us.

“With our bid to become City of Culture and great events like Godiva Festival and Motofest, I’m sure we’ll continue to attract even more in the future.”

[rebbonk]

I'd like to know a lot more about the source of those figures. I'd also like to know the average visitor 'spend' in the city.

[dutchman]

I'd also like to know the average visitor 'spend' in the city.

Last I read Rebbonk it was just £30!

[rebbonk]

Says a lot then!