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Record international visitors to Bristol
A record number of visitors from abroad came to Bristol last year.
The city welcomed an estimated 526,000 staying international visitors in 2015 – the highest number ever recorded and an increase of 18 per cent on 2014.
The International Passenger Survey (IPS) places Bristol in eighth place in the UK’s most visited town or city by overseas visitors, with Germany the strongest inbound market from Europe; long haul markets dominated by the USA, Australia and Canada; and estimated visitors from China more than doubling year on year.
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Destination Bristol chief executive John Hirst said: “We are delighted with the results from the IPS, which are in line with our own research. We hosted more international media visits than ever before last year, and this continued interest from overseas shows no sign of declining.
“We are working harder than ever to form partnerships with inbound operators and agents, as well as continuing our strong relationship with Bristol Airport, Bath and neighbouring destinations to ensure Bristol continues to grow as an international destination for business and leisure visitors.”
International access to Bristol continues to improve. EasyJet launched new routes to Basel and Vienna last November, as well as a new route between Bristol and Nantes in March and to Dubrovnik earlier month.
In mid-May, budget airline WOW launched new routes connecting Bristol to North America via Iceland.
And Bristol Airport’s west terminal extension is planned to open this summer, with Hampton by Hilton planning to open the airport’s first hotel by the end of the year.
This will be joined by a number of new hotels opening in the city during the next few years, including the Harbour Hotel on Corn Street (due to open in October 2016) and Bristol’s first five-star hotel, The Guildhall.
Main photo by Anais Akkawi
Read more: Sector spotlight: Tourism
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