Worcestershire tourism 'bounces back' following pandemic

The Worcester Commandery is one of the attractions to benefit in Worcestershire

Worcestershire welcomed 17.3m visitors in 2022, which the county council said brought £939m into the local economy.

That was a 26% recovery on the figure for 2021, when coronavirus pandemic restrictions were in place.

There was also a 30% increase in overnight stays in the county, the authority said.

But the overall money brought in via the sector was "slightly below" the amount seen before the pandemic, according to the authority.

The council said it was working on a new strategy to bring people into the county.

The number of tourism-related jobs rose by 18% in 2022, bringing them back to the pre-pandemic figure of about 19,500.

Lorna Robinson from Visit Worcestershire said: "It is fantastic to see how the value of tourism across the county has bounced back after what has been a really difficult few years for the sector."