News / Tourism
Seasonal tourism set to provide major economic boost to Bristol
After some leaner summer months, the hospitality sector in Bristol is about to receive a major boost thanks to a busy tourist calendar.
According to payroll services provider Easy Paye, the visitor economy in Bristol and South Gloucestershire is valued at £1.3bn.
The Visit West team are gearing up for a busy autumn promoting the Bristol and Bath regions to international travel trade buyers via a series of high-profile business events in the UK and abroad.
The Redcliffe-based Visit West is Visit England’s accredited official Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) for the area.
Gromit Unleashed sculpture trail is set to come back for 2025 – photo: Barbara Evripidou / FirstAvenuePhotography.com
Visit West works proactively with travel operators in countries important to the region and those which may show significant growth in the next few years.
Key items they will be highlighting for 2025 include Women’s Rugby World Cup at Ashton Gate, Gromit Unleashed and Austen250 as well as a wide range of attractions, guided tours, experiences, and places to stay when they visit Bristol.
Ashton Gate is expecting many rugby fans in 2025 when it hosts both semi-finals of the Women’s Rugby World Cup – photo by Dan Mullan – RFU/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)
One country on Visit West’s radar is Australia. In 2022, their data suggested visiting Australians spend an average of 17 days in the UK (versus the eight day UK average) and spend more than double the global average (£1,547).
In late September, Visit West will meet travel agents from Australia in a series of networking events and one-to-one meetings with the aim of capitalising on this growing market.
Bristol boasts a rich maritime history that stretches back to Anglo-Saxon times – photo: Milan Perera
Visit West will share a stand with Cotswold Plus at World Travel Market, a key annual travel event which takes place in November in London and sees over 50,000 industry professionals attend each year.
With fast growing economies in the Middle East and Asia, Visit West will attempt to tap into those tourist markets with a Destination Middle East (MEA) event in Bengarulu. It is estimated that £1 in every £5 spent by international visitors in the UK in 2024 will come from tourists from these markets, with a total spend of around £6.8bn
Bristol is renowned for its street art epitomised by the likes of Banksy and Inkie – photo: Milan Perera
Bristol has a multi-faceted landscape where tradition meets modernity. It has a variety of tourist attractions, including medieval architecture, a burgeoning tech sector, engineering marvels and a street art scene perhaps best epitomised by the likes of Banksy and Inkie.
It’s no wonder so many people want to visit our city. Our visitor economy is worth £2.13bn and supports 41,000 jobs.
Main photo: Visit West
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