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Doncaster tourism outshines prestigious UK destination rivals

New figures released by Visit England reveal that Doncaster played host to more day visitors than top tourist destinations including Oxford, Cambridge, Stratford-upon-Avon, Windsor and Bath last year.

According to Visit England, Doncaster attracted visits by 12.27 million people in 2012.

Cllr Bob Johnson, cabinet member for tourism, said that Doncaster’s tourism industry is a great success story for the borough and these latest figures confirm the town’s appeal for “world-class events and attractions”.

He added that the town’s success is underpinned by its railway, racing and Roman heritage, as well its historic markets.

Tourism is worth hundreds of millions of pounds a year to Doncaster’s economy and has helped secure investment including new hotels and attractions.

As a result, the town has attracted a stream of awards including Britain’s ‘Best’ and ‘Favourite Market’ as well as best ‘Place Branding’ campaign by a local authority in Britain.

In addition, Doncaster’s Tourist Information Centre has just been shortlisted for the ‘White Rose Awards’ by Welcome to Yorkshire.

The Visit England figures also show that the day trippers are spending more money in the town.

In 2012, they spent £224m in Doncaster, whilst an average spend per person was £18.26, a 9.6 per cent increase on the previous year.

Other notable draws in the borough include the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, the South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum and the new Virgin balloon rides.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mark Lane .