Fresh tourism figures have revealed that more than 9.9 million day trips were made to south Warwickshire in 2024 – marking a 12 per cent rise compared to 2023.

That is despite the overall volume of day visits across Great Britain decreasing by 12 per cent versus 2023.

The total monetary value that tourism brought to south Warwickshire in 2024 also exceeded £860 million - a 9.6 per cent increase on 2023 and a 6.8 per cent increase on 2019 before the pandemic.

The findings come from a Tourism Impact Assessment that was carried out by market research specialists The Research Solution on behalf of the region's tourism board, Shakespeare's England; using a range of credible data sources.

The research covers all of south Warwickshire, taking in key destinations including Kenilworth, Warwick, Leamington Spa, Stratford-upon-Avon, Henley-in-Arden, Alcester, Southam, and Shipston-on-Stour among others.

The research also found that the number of overnight trips in 2024 were also up by four per cent year-on-year to 948,000, with their monetary value also increasing by 6.5 per cent year-on-year to £269 million – which was also a 7.7 per cent increase versus 2019.

Of those staying overnight in the region, there was a larger year-on-year increase in trips from overseas visitors compared to domestic, with 224,000 trips from overseas marking a six per cent rise, and 724,000 domestic overnight trips seeing a three per cent annual rise.

Darren Tosh, Operations and Marketing Director at Shakespeare's England, said: "These figures really underline the important role that our region plays in driving UK tourism forward.

"Not only has south Warwickshire recently exceeded the national average for day trips, but it is also fantastic to see that our region has also surpassed pre-pandemic levels of visitors and spend.

"It's an important reminder that we have so much to show off on our patch – from celebrating the world's greatest playwrights, to medieval castles, rolling countryside views, and streets of independent bars and restaurants - underlined by the fact that we have 13 businesses in our region shortlisted for an award at the West Midlands Tourism Awards in 2026.

"Amid all of this, we are also aware that the challenging economic climate is impacting some businesses more than others, which is a UK-wide issue, and this is why as an organisation we are also on hand to sign post them to professional advice to help them identify avenues for growth.

"Overall, the latest figures provide an encouraging reminder that towns across south Warwickshire remain a firm favourite of domestic and overseas visitors, a feat that we don't take for granted as we continue to play our role in championing the area to the wider world."

For more information about Shakespeare's England visit www.shakespeares-england.co.uk