Whether you are looking for a cultural short break, a tour of a medieval manor house, or even spectacular views of the countryside, there is something for everyone in West Lindsey.

Conservatives have welcomed new posters signposting tourists to key locations throughout West Lindsey that have been designed and unveiled, showcasing key places, to visit, stay and eat.

The posters, which have now been distributed, feature unique drawings of Gainsborough Old Hall Medieval Manor House, Market Rasen Racecourse, golf course and much more. The tourist information points are part of Conservative-led West Lindsey District Council’s strategy to boost tourism, building on its recent success.

According to the latest figures, the economic value of tourism in West Lindsey was reported at £126.5 million, in 2017. The figures were revealed in the most recent STEAM (Scarborough Tourism Economic Assessment Model) report, an industry standard measurement of tourism, showed an increase of 7.2 per cent from 2016.

The news, has been welcomed by Cllr. Paul Howitt-Cowan, (Conservative, Hemswell) member champion for tourism at West Lindsey District Council. He said:

“Visitors play a vital role in supporting more than 1,700 full time equivalent jobs locally.

“We have a number of great places to visit, so I am not surprised that we attracted more than 2.468 million visitors to West Lindsey in 2017.

“Our three historic market towns Caistor, Market Rasen and Gainsborough are all rich in heritage. And with events such as our illuminate festival and the count down to the Mayflower 400 – I anticipate more visitors will follow.

“We also have the wonderful Lincolnshire Wolds – an area of outstanding natural beauty, right here in the district. So whether you want to enjoy a walking or cycling holiday or sit back and soak up the sights – I am sure there is something for everyone to enjoy.”

The STEAM report quantifies the local economic impact of tourism, for both staying and day visitors, through analysis and use of a variety of inputs including visitor attraction numbers, tourist accommodation bed-stock, visitor expenditure levels, transport use levels and tourism-specific economic multipliers.

The report also revealed:

• 2.241 million tourism visits were made by day visitors generating £81.79 million for the local economy.

• Shopping and Food & Drink spend are particularly important, with these two categories accounting for 55.8% of all direct visitor expenditure.

• Visitors staying in the area as a part of a holiday or short break accounted for approximately 226 thousand visits and 821 thousand nights in local accommodation. In total staying visitors generate a total economic impact of £44.7 million for local businesses and communities with £4.79 million being spent on local accommodation, staying 3.63 nights on average.