New figures show that tourism is continuing to bounce back in Mansfield after being hit by the pandemic.

The number of visitors and economic impact of tourism on the district is being monitored for the council by Global Tourism Solutions.

Their latest analysis shows that in 2023 the visitor economy was worth £130.76m, up from £124.75m in 2022; there were 2.82m visitors to the district, a 4.2% increase on the 2022 figure of 2.71m in 2022; and the sector supported the full-time equivalent of 1,540 jobs, compared with 1,379 the previous year.

Most people visited Mansfield to go shopping, which accounted for 42% of expenditure, followed by food and drink at 29.3%.

Day visitors made up 81% of the total value of the visitor economy, up from 80% in 2022.

The number of visitor days also increased with 3.09 days recorded in 2023, compared with 2.97 days in 2022 and 2.66 days in 2021.

Coun Stuart Richardson, portfolio holder for Regeneration and Growth, said: “These latest figures are encouraging and show we are on the right track.

“With a cracking timetable of exciting events planned next year — thanks to government and Arts Council England funding to support our Destination Mansfield project — we are confident we will continue to see improved figures this year.”