New STEAM data shows the region drew 74 million visitors in 2025 and now supports more than 53,000 jobs, with Leeds attractions among the draws
The West Yorkshire visitor economy was worth £6.63bn in 2025, according to new figures that show the region attracting more visitors and, more importantly, more spending. More than 74 million people visited across the five districts last year, generating a 5.9% rise in economic impact on 2024. The sector now supports 53,584 full-time equivalent jobs. The standout detail is overnight stays: they rose 3.5% to 7.71 million visits worth £2.11bn, an 8% jump in value, at a time when overnight trips across Britain as a whole fell by 3%.
Why This Matters For Leeds
Leeds hotels, restaurants, venues and attractions are among the biggest beneficiaries of this growth, and the spending figures are the encouraging part: visits are up around a tenth since 2022 while value has risen by more than a third, meaning visitors are spending more when they arrive. That supports thousands of hospitality jobs across the city and strengthens the case for the investment going into Leeds venues and attractions.
What the Figures Show
The data comes from STEAM, the industry-standard tourism model run by Global Tourism Solutions, which measures economic impact using local data on visitor numbers, accommodation, events and spending. Day visitors made up the bulk of activity at 66.6 million trips, generating £4.52bn. Overnight visitors were fewer at 7.71 million, but worth £2.11bn. The four-year trend is the clearer story: since 2022 the value of tourism across the region has climbed 35.5%, from £4.89bn to £6.63bn, while visitor numbers have risen 9.6%. Day visit value is up 35.2% and overnight value up 36.6% over the same period. Employment supported by the sector has grown 13.7% since 2022, from 47,148 full-time equivalent roles to 53,584.
“West Yorkshire is attracting higher levels of visitor spend and generating greater economic impact for local businesses and communities.”
— Belinda Eldridge, West Yorkshire Local Visitor Economy Partnership Lead
Culture Driving the West Yorkshire Visitor Economy
The partnership credits a run of major cultural programmes across the districts: Kirklees Year of Music and LEEDS 2023, Wakefield’s Our Year in 2024, Calderdale’s Culturedale and Bradford UK City of Culture in 2025. Alongside those, established destinations including Harewood House, the Brontë Parsonage, Yorkshire Sculpture Park and The Piece Hall anchor the wider offer. Leeds sits at the centre of the region’s hotel and conference capacity, and its bars, restaurants and venues capture a substantial share of day-visitor spending. The next programme is already lined up: the Local Visitor Economy Partnership will shortly unveil Nature Season, a series of events across all five districts running through late summer and autumn 2026, spanning installations, community planting projects, music, comedy and drama, the next chapter for the West Yorkshire visitor economy.
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- Learn more about West Yorkshire Local Visitor Economy Partnership: https://www.visitleeds.co.uk
