Britain welcomed around 39 million international visitors in 2024 as tourism moved closer to pre-COVID levels.
Around 3.4 million of those tourists travelled to the North West, accounting for 9% of the UK’s total international visitors, according to the latest ONS data.
International visitors spent an estimated £1.8 million in the region over the course of the year, with spending peaking between April and June.
Travellers from European countries accounted for 70% of arrivals and generated more than half of the total revenue in the North West.
This data comes on the heels of a push from local governments to implement a ‘Barcelona-style’ tourist tax for more income.
In a letter to the central government, led by Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, the case was made that a visitor levy would provide essential funding for tourism and cultural infrastructure, promote regional growth, and reduce reliance on central government funding, according to The Guardian.
The letter was cosigned by GM Mayor Andy Burnham and mayors across England.
They hope that provisions are included within an upcoming devolution bill to allow northern local governments the ability to administer a visitor levy without liaising with the central government.
The new fee for tourists would be used for local reinvestment, resulting in increased tourism as the destination improves with the additional funding.
London still draws the vast majority of tourists, but the North West may one day take second place.
In January, Marketing Manchester announced plans to make Manchester the second-most visited city region by 2030.
If all goes according to plan they project the economic impact of the visitor economy across Greater Manchester increasing to £15bn.
Part of this plan includes attracting and delivering major events.
This appears to have some success with the announcement of the Britt Awards taking place at Co-op Live after 48 years in London.
In a press release, Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “It feels like here in Greater Manchester we are facing a very special moment. We have been celebrated across the world for all the fantastic things that our city-region is doing, and I want to stress the importance of the role that the visitor economy plays in helping to build and maintain Greater Manchester’s reputation as a world-class destination.
“Our visitor economy is not just something that makes us immensely proud and that brings people together; it also contributes significantly to our economy, generating almost £9 billion of additional value and keeping over 100,000 people in work, but it can, and will, do more.”
Some of the biggest challenges overlap with persistent residential concerns such as transport, attracting more skilled workers, enhancing shared outdoor spaces (the ‘public realm’), and drawing investment, according to the 2030 plan.
Feature photo by Mark mc neill on Unsplash
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