To tackle the latter
question first, in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire alone there are more than 2,000 visitor accommodation businesses operating, managing 70,000 bed spaces, capable of providing almost 26 million overnight stays annually. The statistics come from a
recent D2N2 LEP-led study into
‘The Visitor Economy sector is a major local employer in cities and market towns’
the visitor economy of the Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire region, which led D2N2 Chief Executive, David Ralph, to say: “the Visitor Economy sector is a major local employer in cities and market towns, and we have terrific natural assets already attracting tourists. It makes sense for us to look afresh at how we can all help the sector develop new markets, better meet demand and crucially extend its ‘season’ to provide a more year-round income for businesses.” Similarly, the focus around leisure and tourism in
Leicester and Leicestershire is being prioritised by both public and private sectors. Recently-released figures from Leicester City Council show that more than 33 million people visited Leicester and Leicestershire last year, with a million more visitors choosing to spend time in the area in 2016 than in the previous year. Specifically, 10.81 million people visited the city of
Leicester last year, while visitors to Leicestershire sat at 22.58 million, meaning that tourism is now worth more than £600m to the city’s economy and £1.156bn to the county’s. The figures prompted County Council leader Nick Rushton to comment that “tourism across the city and county is on the
up. Leicestershire has much to offer, including history, picturesque countryside, food, heritage, waterways and retail. This rich mix is drawing visitors and the fact that one million more people have visited Leicestershire is great news. “The knock-on effects for the economy in terms of job
creation underlines that Leicester and Leicestershire are most definitely open for business.” In terms of the qualities and attributes of the region, this
is something that the people, businesses, place marketers and ambassadors of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire – of which there are many in Chamber membership alone – work incredibly hard to showcase in order to position the East Midlands as an attractive proposition to consumers, in the midst of strong competition home and abroad. While all regions of the UK can lay claim to standout
attractions and offerings, the East Midlands certainly enjoys an embarrassment of riches that far outweighs the negative – arguably – of it being one of the few regions that is landlocked; save the Lincolnshire coast. Its central location and excellent travel links also help make the East Midlands a hotbed for leisure and tourism. With respect to Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and
Leicestershire, all have a wealth of high-end leisure offerings including world-renowned sporting institutions and entertainment arenas. They also have landmarks of international significance
with a vast array of buildings and places such as Chatsworth House, Hardwick Hall, the National Space Centre, Twycross Zoo, King Richard III Visitor Centre, Leicester Cathedral, Newstead Abbey and Nottingham Castle – there are countless more – welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors collectively; all
business network October 2017 39
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