An appeal has gone out to businesses in the tourism sector to support an impact assessment which tracks trends in visitor numbers and spend.
West Midlands Growth Company is conducting the research on behalf of Staffordshire County Council and says footfall data submitted by businesses in the county is a key component of the project.
Businesses are being urged to provide visitor footfall (either recorded actual figures or best estimates) for the calendar years of 2023 and 2024 by Friday, 6 June.
The data will be fed into the STEAM economic model and will help to shapre policy and to inform investment decisions at local, national and regional level.
Last year’s research showed that Staffordshire attracted over 37million visitors in 2023, representing a two per cent increase compared to 2022.
Charlotte Cain, Local Visitor Economy Partnership manager – Visit Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent, said: “The Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent LVEP conducts an annual tourism impact assessment, as they are vital in supporting the development of the Staffordshire visitor economy.
“They help to identify and track trends in visitor numbers and spend, and to shape policy, and inform investment decisions at local, regional, and national level.
“By sharing their footfall data, businesses can help ensure the assessment is as accurate as possible, and provide insight on where support may be needed.”
The research has been undertaken for the past 10 years.
All data remains confidential and is never linked back to an individual business.
If monthly data is unavailale, an annual figure is acceptable.
Data can be submitted by:
- Clicking this link or using the QR code below.
- Completing a spreadsheet available via tourism@staffordshire.gov.uk
- Sending it in whichever format it comes.
Visit Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent can be contacted via tourism@staffordshire.gov.uk
