Tourism

A record number of tourists visited Coventry last year, providing a financial boost of £750m to the city's economy, with the rise attributed in part to the City of Culture festival.

The BBC reports that more than 11 million people paid a visit to the city in 2022, an increase of 3m from the previous year, and 1m more than the previous record in 2019.

In 2019, tourists brought in £600m in extra revenue to the city, and three years later, this rose to £750.86m, a report by Global Tourism Solutions reveals.

"Pre-pandemic we saw 10m visitors come to Coventry and we were celebrating that year," Paul Jones, the managing director of Destination Coventry told the BBC.

"The pandemic had a really decimating effect on our visitor economy, it wiped 60% off in terms of volume and value of visitors.

"We were hopeful 2022 would be a great year but we weren't sure if we'd get back to those pre-pandemic levels, so to add a million visitors on top of our record year, we were very happy."

"You can't deny the fact that the City of Culture programme really shone a spotlight on Coventry internationally."

A study looking at reviews, admissions fees, Instagram popularity and opening hours to determine which European museum is the best value has ranked the UK's National Gallery in first place.

The research, conducted by The Knowledge Academy, placed the National History Museum second. Both London museums hold a 4.5 star rating on Tripadvisor and offer free entry.

The Louvre in Paris was ranked third, while the British Museum, the other UK entry in the top 10, came sixth.

UK-based entries in the top 20 are the Victoria and Albert Museum (=11th), The Roman Baths in Bath (16th), Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh (19th) and the Churchill War Rooms (20th).

York's historic city centre and an iron-age settlement in Shetland are among seven sites to receive government backing to bid for UNESCO World Heritage Status.

The sites have been added to the UK Government's 'Tentative List', published every 10 years.

The list sets out the sites which it feels have the best chance of winning the status.

York city centre and the Zenith of Iron Age are both listed for their cultural importance.

Other sites to gain government support are: The People's Park, Birkenhead, a pioneering urban park that opened in 1847; and the Gracehill Moravian Church Settlements in Northern Ireland.

Also listed are three natural sites: East Atlantic Flyway, a migratory bird route over Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Kent; The Flow Country, a vast expanse of blanket bog in the North of Scotland; and the Little Cayman Marine Parks and Protected Areas, in the UK Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands.

Heritage Minister Lord Parkinson said: "All the locations being put forward would be worthy recipients of this accolade – and we will give them our full backing so they can benefit from the international recognition it can bring."

If successful, the seven sites would join the 33 other World Heritage Sites already based in the UK.

A new Anglo-Saxon museum and whisky distillery is hoping to become a major tourist attraction for Northumberland.

The £16m project is inspired by the summer palace of 7th Century Northumbrian royalty, which was discovered nearby in 1949. The distillery revives a local tradition which, according to the attraction's owners, became dormant around 200 years ago.

Ad Gefrin – which means 'by the hill of goats' in Anglo-Saxon – is situated in the small town of Wooler on a previously derelict site. Items on display will tell the story of the 7th Century royal court and include loans from the British Museum.

The museum is owned by Eileen Ferguson, who with her husband also owns haulage company Ferguson Transport. 

She said she hoped Ad Gefrin, which is employing more than 60 people, would be "the catalyst for regeneration" in the area.
  

The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce £8.6m of funding for Edinburgh’s festivals in tomorrow's Spring Budget.

The Independent reports that some of the funding could go towards a permanent HQ for the Fringe.

Hunt said: “From Edinburgh’s Fringe to the International Festival, the city is world-famous for culture and it’s right to support it and help it grow.

“Millions of people flock to Edinburgh from all over the globe for its festivals, creating opportunities for incredible comedians, musicians, artists and more, as well as thousands of jobs each year – all contributing immensely to the UK’s shared economy.”

UK Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said the money "will help us safeguard a future where upcoming British talent can capitalise on the opportunities on offer".

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack declared the funding “fantastic news for Scotland". 

Jersey Heritage has decided to open almost all of its heritage sites year-round following increases in government funding and local visitor numbers.

Jon Carter, the charity’s Chief Executive, says the decision to permanently open the majority of sites when the 2023 season begins on 1 March marks “an exciting new chapter”.

Last year, the Jersey Government committed 1% of its annual budget to support the island’s arts, heritage and culture sector, which Carter says has “undoubtedly been a catalyst”.

He told the BBC funds had been increased as 30% of total visits to Jersey’s heritage sites were being made by locals.

“We know that our heritage sites are popular with visitors and they will now have more choice for excursions if they choose to visit Jersey outside of the traditional holiday months,” Carter added.

The news follows plans to upgrade Jersey’s flagship theatre venue with a £11.5m makeover, announced last week.