TOURISM was worth £691million to the south Warwickshire economy in 2017.
New figures reveal the area received over 10million tourist visits during the year, which included a rise of more than seven per cent in day trippers. The tourism sector supports more than 12,000 in the area.
Shakespeare’s England, the organisation which promotes the region to national and international audiences, welcomed The official Economic Impact Assessment of Tourism statistics published by The Research Solution.
Chief executive Helen Peters said: “These are extremely positive figures and again underline the importance of the sector to the local and regional economy.
“Everyone is aware of the challenges post-recession and pre-Brexit in the sector, so these figures are extremely welcome and do bode well for the future.
“Jobs in the sector grew by four per cent from 2016 and we hope to see a continued increase in employment opportunities in the tourism industry.
“South Warwickshire is a truly wonderful place to visit with so many different attractions and a rich history as a county that continues to attract visitors from around the world, but it is a very congested marketplace and we have to ensure we are leaving no stone unturned to pull in more visitors and get them to stay longer.
“In particular Stratford has an unending popularity as the birthplace of William Shakespeare and gives us a global platform to publicise our other attractions which range from cars to castles, butterflies to boating.
“We’ve been encouraging people to explore south Warwickshire beyond their day trips with our ‘Stay, Play, Explore Scheme’ which aims at promoting overnight visits to the area with the many different types of accommodation we have to offer and the variety of attractions there are to enjoy.”
