Visit Chester and Cheshire are optimistic about city’s tourism economy

Dec 31 2009 by Barry Ellams, Chester Chronicle

nTourism is emerging as an even more powerful player on the economic stage and 2010 is expected to be a big year for Chester’s visitor economy.

Hotel constructions include a Travelodge in Delamere Street, the ABode hotel at HQ and the expanding Doubletree by Hilton hotel.

More than 90,000 people work in Cheshire and Warrington’s visitor economy, which makes up more than 21% of the total number of employees working in Cheshire and Warrington in 2008.

The latest 2008 data (STEAM Tourism Model) indicate that the value of the visitor economy stands at about £1.8bn.

Cheshire and Warrington receive an estimated 41m tourists annually, with the majority of them day visitors.

Visit Chester and Cheshire chief executive Chris Brown said: “One emerging strength of the tourism industry is its potential to help address the growing challenge of youth unemployment.

“New hotel and restaurant developments in Chester, for example, have played a part in generating about 100 vacancies for chefs in the area.”