July 2, 2019 9.36 am This story is over 56 months old

The £216m tourism boom growing Lincoln’s economy

Tourism generates millions of pounds for the local economy
Photo: David Sykes

The number of tourists visiting Lincoln grew by 25% in the last decade, with the economic impact now sitting at more than £216 million.

Some 4.26 million people visited the city last year, up from 4.22 million in 2017, according to figures released last week by Global Tourism Solutions, for City of Lincoln Council.

The latest data shows that over the past decade, the number of people visiting the city per year has grown by just over a quarter from 3.4 million in the last 10 years.

This is great news for the city’s businesses too, as the economic impact has also grown by 30% over the past five years.

Visitor and tourism expenditure generated £216.16 million within the local economy in 2017 and supported 2,527 full time equivalent jobs the following year.

Photo: CoLC

Ric Metcalfe, Leader of City of Lincoln Council, said: “This really is fantastic news for the city, and is testament to the hard work put in by everyone who continues to strive to make Lincoln such a remarkable place.

“Everything seems to be going right for tourism in Lincoln at the moment, and that’s in no small part down to having an amazing programme of events throughout the year such as Asylum Steam Punk, Lincoln Christmas Market and many more.

“We’ve known for years that Lincoln is one of the most appealing historic cities in the UK, and now we know that millions of other people think that too.”

Lydia Rusling, Chief Executive at Visit Lincoln, said: “Based on the latest tourism figures Lincoln will be the envy of city destinations across the UK.

“To have such a significant increase in the amount of money tourists are spending in the city is unprecedented.

“And whilst the number of visitors has increased steadily by 40,000 from 2017 to 2018, what really stands out is the additional £13 million that visitors spent in the local economy.

“It’s been another challenging year for the industry, but it’s clear to see that we are still on an upwards trajectory!”