Record tourism figures for East Midlands

The East Midlands is proving to be a tourism hotspot as new national figures reveal a record-breaking quarter for inbound visits to the region.

The latest figures from VisitBritain, based on International Passenger Survey data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that:

• The East Midlands saw a 17 per cent increase in inbound visits for quarter two this year (from April to June) to 325,000 visits (compared to the same period last year) – it was also a record-breaking quarter two for inbound visits to the East Midlands (since ONS records began)

• Spending by inbound visitors to the East Midlands was up by 5 per cent from April to June this year to £102 million compared to the same period last year

Earlier in 2016, Leicester Shire Promotions announced that the value of tourism to Leicester and Leicestershire has grown for the seventh consecutive year to reach a record high of £1.675bn. This is a 6.6 per cent rise on the previous year and a total increase of over 20 per cent since 2012.

Martin Peters, chief executive of Leicester Shire Promotions said: “These regional inbound visitor numbers are highly encouraging and support the positive destination figures that we revealed earlier this year. Leicester and Leicestershire have been in the world spotlight for several years now and evidence is now showing that this profile, and the work to develop the city and county’s tourism offer has created a thriving visitor economy.”