Bath’s Visitor Information Centre and the VisitBath website clocked up records over the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee weekend as the city came alive with street parties, concerts, exhibitions and an influx of tourists.
Nearly 9,000 people walked through the doors of the visitor information centre over the four-day period – the highest number so far. That resulted in a 13% increase in retail sales in the centre compared to last year’s four-day holiday for the Royal Wedding. Staff at the centre also dealt with 18% more inquiries than the previous week.
The figures come hot on the heels of a record-breaking May for visitbath.co.uk, the city’s official visitor website, which received 236,504 visits during the month – 16% higher than the figure for May 2011. The site also handled a record number of online bookings – up more than 20% on this time last year and worth £137,000 to the city – while it added more than 500 additional Twitter followers and Facebook likes over the month.
Bath Tourism Plus chief executive Nick Brooks Sykes said: “The Diamond Jubilee highlighted the culture and heritage of our country, which we know is a key draw for many of our overseas visitors.
“However Bath’s story is told as much through its people and local characters as our buildings and place. By harnessing the power of word of mouth and people’s love for the city, we have successfully created that online and social media buzz that will inevitably encourage others to come and experience the city for themselves.”
The Roman Baths and Thermae Bath Spa also benefited from the high number of visitors over the Jubilee break, which coincided with the start of the city’s International Music Festival. Thermae Bath Spa was fully booked over the weekend and had higher than usual numbers on the Monday and Tuesday.
