New figures have revealed that the economic impact of the tourism sector in Leicester and Leicestershire is worth £2.676 billion, despite a challenging environment for these businesses. This figure relates to activity in 2025 and is up by 4.62% on the 2024 figure of £2.558 billion. Over 32.5 million people visited the city and county in 2025, this is an increase of 1.65% on the previous year’s figure of 32.04 million, which was 2.4% up on 2023. Of these numbers, the county we

This weekend, Leicester’s skies will be transformed as the city hosts its first-ever Balloon Festival, one of a series of major family-friendly events expected to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to Leicester and Leicestershire. From spectacular hot air balloon displays and Star Wars adventures to giant mazes, colourful cultural celebrations and extraordinary community art installations, the county is offering families a packed programme of unique experiences throu

A group of Leicestershire cyclists have embarked on a 220-mile challenge in the hope of securing national recognition for a new long-distance cycling route that would put the county on the map for ‘bikepacking’ adventure tourism. The proposed ‘King's End’ route will link key historic sites, countryside landscapes and independent cafés across Leicester and Leicestershire, with the hope that it will be included in Cycling UK's prestigious ‘Adventure Series’ - potentially making

Hot on the heels of Download - the UK's biggest rock festival of 2026 - Leicestershire is underway to one of its busiest summers on record welcoming visitors to a spectacular array of major events – from medieval battlefields, world-class motorsport to one of Britain's largest wartime re-enactments. 13 major events are expected to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city and county over the coming months, cementing Leicester and Leicestershire's reputation a

Visit Leicester has officially announced its Green Days, Green Stays and Green Ways campaign, a major initiative designed to highlight the benefits of regenerative tourism and encourage eco-friendly travel throughout the city and county. Tourists the world over are increasingly aware of the impact of their travel and want to know that their choices make a positive difference, rather than leave a negative impact. Moving beyond traditional sustainability, the campaign focu

Visit Leicester has launched its brand-new Tourism Growth Plan, setting out a five-year strategy to continue to grow the tourism economy and solidify a distinctive identity for Leicester and Leicestershire . The Tourism Growth Plan builds on the success of the previous five-year plan, which saw the city and county rally from the impact of the longest COVID lockdown in the UK to grow the value of the tourism economy to £2.5 billion and welcome 32 million visitors per year to t

Leicester’s Festivals & Events team has been named as one of just ten finalists in VisitEngland’s prestigious Tourism Superstar Awards — and the city now has the chance to help them win. Facing competition from across the country, the team is flying the flag for Leicester on a national stage, and public votes will decide the champion. They’re up against some stiff competition from all across the country and you can vote for them Here to help bring the title home to Leicester

Following the launch of a brand new website last year, Visit Leicester is now the first official Tourism Organisation in England to have its own AI Chatbot – a smart new digital assistant designed to make planning a visit to Leicester and Leicestershire quicker, easier and more reliable. FOXI , is a helpful and handy tool capable of answering any question that visitors to the website may have from attractions and events to places to eat and stay. And unlike using more widely