According to multiple reports from a number of local and national newspapers, surveys are now showing that an astounding amount of money is spent by tourists in the city of Sheffield every year. The amount itself doesn’t seem as surprising, once the number of tourists who have been visiting Sheffield every year since 2017 is taken into consideration.
Although Sheffield isn’t yet as popular with international tourists as London, Manchester or Edinburgh is, Sheffield’s domestic footfall, in particular, is quite impressive nonetheless. Taking a closer look at some of the stats reveal the primary reasons behind the city’s recent growth in tourism, as well as giving us a clear idea of the growth itself.
How much do tourists spend in Sheffield annually?
According to reports, tourists and travellers are now spending £1.2 billion every year in the city, which is without a doubt, a huge growth from where the city’s tourism industry was just five years ago. It forms a major chunk of Yorkshire’s total tourism revenue of about £9 billion.
The report also goes on to further state that the numbers will break all previous records in 2019, as the World Snooker Championship was held just recently in April 2019.
Millions of Travellers are Now Paying a Visit to Sheffield
The exact numbers for this year are expected to be even more ground-breaking, but as of now, the local tourism industry has estimated that about 17.2 million people are now visiting Sheffield annually.
Huge as the total number is, it’s also been found that only little more than two million of those visitors are spending a night in the city. That percentage is expected to grow by the end of 2019, but it remains to be seen.
The billion+ pounds from the accommodation business is contributing heavily towards further growth of the city’s tourism industry both offline and online, which actually brings us to the next reason.
The Effect of Travel Websites on the Growth of Tourism in Sheffield
According to statistics presented on StatusCake, which looked at the performance and availability of popular travel websites, the global economy received a total of USD 7.6 trillion from the tourism business in 2016. The site also points out that about 81% of the holiday bookings were completed exclusively online in 2018, which just shows what an impact travel websites have had on the tourism industry across the globe.
The prime reason why Sheffield has started seeing such a huge boost in its tourism sector lately has a lot to do with these stats presented by StatusCake.
Previously, outsiders would not have known about Beauchief Abbey and the mysterious woods nearby, or they might have never even heard of the fascinating Sheffield Botanical Gardens which has 5,000+ species of plants. Thanks to travel websites and their efforts, a lot more travellers know about it and once they have been there, the photos and posts they upload are spreading via social media, inviting even more people to visit the wonderful attractions and see the beautiful sites for themselves.
It’s an ongoing cycle really, which means that in spite of how impressive the numbers already are, the best days of Sheffield’s tourism industry are yet to come.
