Tourism across the Canterbury district is booming with visitors now surpassing pre-pandemic levels, according to a new report.

The latest figures are “fantastic” news for the area, say council bosses who recently defended the district’s high parking charges leading to a surge in revenue.

According to Visit Kent’s latest study, 8.1 million people visited the district in 2023 – a 13% increase compared to 2021 and 4% up on 2019.

It claims the boost in tourism in the district generated £520m in revenue, which is on a par with 2019 levels but a huge 57% increase on 2021.

Day trips to the district surpassed 2019 levels with 7.5 million, a 10% increase on 2021. While spending is estimated at £269m - a 46% increase compared to 2021.

Tourism now supports 10,235 jobs across the district, representing 15% of total employment.

Canterbury City Council’s cabinet member for tourism, transport and rural champion Cllr Alex Ricketts (Lib Dem) said: “These fantastic figures are no surprise when you consider what our district has to offer – history, heritage and culture around every corner.

“The numbers in this study also match our own, with parking figures showing more people coming to our high streets, attracted by exciting new businesses.”

And the trend looks set to continue with Canterbury city centre recently experiencing an uplift in its fortunes, despite the ongoing misfortunes of the derelict former Debenhams and Nasons sites.

The new and upmarket Ivy restaurant is already winning rave reviews and while 18 units closed in 2024, 30 new businesses have opened.

It means that just 7.5% of shops stand empty - half the national average.

The city-council-owned Whitefriars shopping centre is also performing beyond expectations with the authority reporting a projected rent surplus of almost £500,000 by the end of the 2024/25 budget year.

But the council’s cabinet member for economic development and inclusion and coastal towns champion, Cllr Chris Cornell (Lab) says it “cannot rest on its laurels” and needs to support the sector through the myriad challenges it is facing.

“For the council, this means working with partners to ensure the money that tourism earns in the district stays here and local businesses support each other by buying from each other,” he said.

Visit Kent is also reporting a boost in the visitor economy across the county, which generated £4.1 billion and supports more than 77,000 jobs.