Boost for district’s economy as culture and heritage help pull in more visitors
The number of visitors to Wakefield district is reported to have risen by almost 10 per cent last year.
Latest figures show more than ten million people visited the district in 2024. This was up by 9.6 per cent compared to 2023.
Wakefield Council has partly attributed this to the success of “Our Year – Wakefield District 2024” – which celebrated culture and heritage.
The council adds the increased number of visitors also highlights the overall strength of the district’s hospitality, cultural and tourism sector including attractions such as Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Hepworth Wakefield and Pontefract Castle.
Councillor Hannah Appleyard, cabinet member for culture, leisure and sport, said: “It’s very encouraging that more people are discovering what a great place we are to visit. Our district has so much to offer, with so much to see and do.
“Our attractions and our hospitality sector are very strong in attracting people to the district.
“We had a very successful Our Year – Wakefield District 2024 – which celebrated and successfully spotlighted our culture and heritage and contributed to this success. We are also seeing the benefits of our plan to work more closely with partners to develop our offer.”
The council’s figures also show £851m was generated directly and indirectly through visitor and tourism business expenditure in the Wakefield district. This is 13.3 per cent up on the 2023 figure of £751m.
Visitor spend supports 7,579 full time or equivalent tourism related jobs – 6.1 per cent up on the 2023 estimate of 7,127 jobs.
Last year, Wakefield Council launched its Destination Management Plan which set out plans to boost tourism.
It involves working with the tourism and hospitality sector to achieve increased spend from visitors by extending stays and creating new and sustainable experiences.
Cllr Jack Hemingway, deputy leader and cabinet member for regeneration and economic growth, said: “Tourism is an important part of our economy and we’ll continue to work with partners and to encourage more visitors to enjoy the great experiences on offer in our district.”
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