Leeds hospitality group reports 'really positive' tourist figures

Leeds Hotels and Venues Association, a membership led, not-for-profit hospitality organisation, has found encouraging news for the sector

Tourism trade in Leeds is rebounding strongly after the city took a £1bn hit from the Covid pandemic, a hospitality association has found.

Visitor numbers over the past 28 days are "comparable" with 2019, Leeds Hotel and Venues Association figures suggest.

A recent meeting heard that revenues for hotels and B&Bs were exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

The Leeds economy took £1.9bn from visitor trade in 2019, with the figure dropping to £900m in 2020.

Leeds City Council's chief officer for culture and economy, Eve Roodhouse, described the current situation as "really positive".

Asked about the current state of affairs at a scrutiny meeting, she said: "The Leeds Hotel and Venues Association report that occupancy rates are showing relatively strong signs of recovery."

Leeds railway station footfall is at two thirds of pre-Covid levels during the week, the meeting heard

The Visit Leeds website was also getting more than twice the number of visitors compared to this time in 2021, when some Covid restrictions still lingered, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

While footfall at Leeds railway station during the week was hovering at about two thirds of pre-Covid levels, there were more weekend passengers than before, suggesting the leisure industry was resurgent, the meeting heard.

However, it was told that pensioners were less likely to be out and about, especially in indoor settings.

"We do know from some of our productions and theatres that some of our older audience is a little reluctant to return," Ms Roodhouse said.

"There's more work to be done to support certain demographics to return to tourism, return to the city and for them to feel comfortable with that."