More visitors travelling to borough figures reveal

The number of tourists and visitors heading to Ashford is on the up.

Independent research commissioned by Visit Kent and carried out by the Cambridge Economic Impact Model showed that the borough saw a 6% increase in attraction spend in 2015.

Visits to the district rose to 4.3m trips (up from 4.1m the year before), with 3.9m day trips and nearly 500,000 overnight stays (compared to 433,000 people staying overnight in 2013).

The total number of jobs supported by tourism rose by 3.54% to 5,482 , or one in 10 of all jobs in Ashford.

The value of tourism across the borough is estimated to be £278m, compared to the 2013 figure of nearly £271m.

Despite the problems caused by Operation Stack and poor weather in the summer, Kent welcomed more than 60m visitors in 2015, and the visitor economy’s value rose to £3.6 billion.

Cllr Clair Bell, Ashford Borough Council’s (ABC) portfolio holder for borough presentation, said: “Ashford’s thriving visitor economy and the value of tourism in the borough cannot be underestimated. Ashford accounts for thousands of jobs and contributes significantly to Kent’s economy.”

ABC leader Cllr Gerry Clarkson said: “We have been working hard to promote the borough as a place to live, work and invest in and we have seen major investment into Ashford as a result.

“In the coming years the town will have a new Chapel Down brewery, an expanded Designer Outlet Centre as well as a boutique cinema and hopefully the Model Railway Education Centre, which will all help to put Ashford on the map as an exciting and vibrant place to experience.”

Kent remains the third most visited destination outside Lon- don for foreign visitors, and tourism jobs rose by 5.9% to 71,920.

Chief executive of Visit Kent Sandra Matthews-Marsh said: “Kent’s reputation as a great short break destination continues to thrive, and we are proud to remain one of the UK’s most popular destinations.”