Impact of Leicestershire’s visitor economy jumps past £2.6bn

The economic impact of the tourism sector in Leicester and Leicestershire is now worth more than £2.6bn, new figures have revealed. 

The research shows that Leicestershire's tourism sector was worth £2.67bn in 2025, up 4.62 per cent from £2.55bn in 2024. 

More than 32.5 million people visited the city and county in 2025, an increase of 1.65 per cent on the previous year's figure of 32.04 million, which was 2.4 per cent up on 2023.

Of these numbers, the county welcomed 21.95 million visitors while 10.62 million visited the city.

The number of visitor days rose to 40.17 million, up 1.67 per cent from 39.51 million - with 25.67 million visitor days in the county and 14.5 million in the city.

Cllr Vi Dempster, assistant city mayor for culture at Leicester City Council, said: "Tourism makes a huge contribution to our local economy, which is why it's essential we continue to invest in our city centre, promote our heritage, and support our tourism and hospitality sector.

"With 10.62 million visitors to the city last year, Leicester is attracting significant interest in our cultural, festival and heritage offer. We are working hard through our Volunteer Tourism Ambassador programme to ensure visitors are welcomed and given the information they need to get the most from their visit. 

"I am confident that we will be welcoming many more visitors to the city in the future."

The tourism figures for Leicester and Leicestershire are taken from the 2025 Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor (STEAM) survey. 

Councillor Kevin Crook, Leicestershire County Council deputy leader and cabinet member for tourism, said: "As a county Leicestershire is lucky to have both a history and range of attractions, so to see nearly 22 million visitors last year is fantastic news.

"Making both the county and the city attractive to visitors means our local businesses and employers can continue to thrive – that's why we're working to ensure Visit Leicester keeps showcasing what we have to offer."

Erika Hardy, chair of the Local Visitor Economy Partnership Advisory Board for Leicester and Leicestershire, added: "We are so proud of what we have to offer visitors and were delighted to launch our new Tourism Growth Plan earlier this year to build on our local pride and strong partnerships. 

"It's great to see visitor numbers are growing which are so important for our local economy."