West Suffolk shines bright as a popular tourist destination

Picturesque West Suffolk has witnessed a resurgence in tourism, according to the 2022 Economic Impact of Tourism Report, painting a vibrant and optimistic picture for the district.

The area welcomed a staggering 11.5 million tourism day trips in 2022.

These visitors, seeking out the district’s natural beauty and historical gems, contributed over £378 million in spend. This represents a staggering 59% surge in the volume of day trips and a remarkable 65% increase in total spend compared to 2021.

Overnight trips to West Suffolk have also seen impressive improvements, nearly 350,000 overnight trips occurred in 2022, translating to over one million nights and a remarkable £75 million in spend. These brilliant numbers underscore the allure of the region as a location for tourism.

The overall economic impact of tourism reached a staggering £539,437,750 in 2022, marking an outstanding 54% rise compared to the previous year. The tourism sector also takes pride in supporting 10,708 tourism-related jobs, making up 14.6% of all employment in the district.

Nationally, domestic staycations continue to reign supreme, as rising living costs encourage people to explore locations right on their doorstep. Despite the challenges, the 2022 results are a resounding success, coming tantalizingly close to the levels of spending last seen in 2019.

Indy Wijenayaka, cabinet member for Growth at West Suffolk Council, said: “It is great news, and a relief, to see our visitor economy in West Suffolk is starting to climb back to pre-pandemic levels. This is a compliment to the people who are involved in the tourism sector, whether employed or voluntary, direct or indirectly, who have worked relentlessly to ensure the sector survived.

“West Suffolk is a beautiful place to live, with a wonderful mix of nature, wildlife, rural landscape, right through to vibrant towns and villages. I am keen to work with partners and businesses alike to promote the area and get West Suffolk to the top of people’s staycation lists.”

Two Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) operate in West Suffolk, Bury St Edmunds and Beyond and Discover Newmarket, both working with local businesses and stakeholders, ensuring the district is more inviting than ever to elevate tourism and draw visitors to the area.

The 2022 Cambridge Model Report examines the economic impact of the visitor economy for a number of counties and districts in England in 2022 against comparative data for 2021. As well as providing comparisons for 2019 to monitor the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The latest results for 2022 are based on the key national tourism surveys, which after limited data during the pandemic, have recently been fully operational and upgraded.

The domestic tourism statistics are based on a new combined online survey that replaces the separate Great Britain Tourism Survey and Great Britain Day Visits Survey that ran until 2019.