Appendix C Tourism

Chester is an internationally renowned tourist destination. Its rich history spanning over 2,000 years is apparent throughout the city, from its Roman archaeology to its Cathedral. Local Plan Policy ECON 3 sets out how the expansion of existing tourism assets or the creation of new tourism opportunities will be supported where this would enhance the existing tourism offer, benefit the local economy and be of a suitable scale and type for its location.

In 2018, 14 million tourists visited Chester City. The visitor economy is a key contributor to the economic performance of Chester and wider Cheshire area. The total economic impact of Chester was valued at £0.7billion in 2018, supporting nearly 10,000 full-time equivalent visitor economy jobs.²

The Chester Heritage and Visual Arts Strategy (2017) sets out how in 2014 the city attracted approximately 950,000 staying visits, 128,000 of which were from international visitors. By comparison, Stratford-uponAvon attracted 144,000 international visitors in 2014.

Domestic visitors to Chester are more likely to take a day trip, with overnight staying trips static at 403,000 in the 2012-14 period based on a three-year average.³

This suggests there is potential to grow the number of overnight trips by marketing Chester to domestic visitors as an attractive weekend or overnight destination.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on travel and tourism, with international and domestic travel having been either barred or heavily discouraged at various stages of the pandemic. Although tourism sector is expected to receive some respite in the form of vaccine rollout over 2021 and a focus towards domestic tourism, it is unlikely that international visitor numbers will return to end-2019 levels for some time, placing sustained stress on retailing and the food and beverage sector.⁴

² Chester Data Dashboard – High Street Cell (03/11/2020).