The economic impact of the tourism sector in Leicester and Leicestershire is worth £2.558bn, according to new figures for 2024, despite a challenging environment. This is up by 6.75% on 2023 (£2.391bn).
Over 32.04m people visited the city and county in 2024, maintaining an increase of 2.4% on the previous year’s figure of 31.28m, which was 2.4% up on 2022. Of these numbers, the county welcomed 21.71m visitors whilst 10.33m visited the city.
The number of visitor days rose to 39.51m, up 2.54% on the 2023 figure of 38.52m – with 25.4m visitor days in the county and 14.11m in the city during 2024.
The number of tourism-related jobs has also risen, with more than 23,133 people employed in the visitor economy sector across the city and the county – an increase of 201 on 2023.
The tourism figures for Leicester and Leicestershire are taken from the 2024 Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor (STEAM) survey.
Councillor Kevin Crook, Leicestershire County Council deputy leader and cabinet member for tourism, said: “This is great news and shows that the county and city are on the up. Leicestershire has such a rich history, heritage and range of attractions, which is why 21 million people visited the county last year.
“This rich offering sees people spending money in our hotels, restaurants and local shops, helping our businesses to grow, creating jobs and boosting our local economy. Leicestershire is an excellent place to live, invest and visit and I’m pleased that more people are enjoying what we have to offer right on our doorstep.”
Cllr Vi Dempster, assistant city mayor for culture at Leicester City Council, said: “Tourism makes a huge contribution to our local economy, which is why it’s essential we continue to invest in our city centre, promote our heritage and support our tourism and hospitality sector.
“With the recent openings of the revamped Jewry Wall Museum and Leicester Cathedral’s new visitor and heritage centre I am confident that we will be welcoming many more visitors to the city over the coming year.”
