Overseas visitors increase adds £374m to Kent economy

The county of Kent saw an 11% increase in overseas visitors to the region in 2024, generating more than £374m for the local economy.

The 1.3m international trips meant that revenue increased by 9% compared to 2023, Visit Kent said.

In total, 66m trips were made to the county in 2024 - which included visitors from the UK and overseas - which generated £4.1bn for Kent. It is the highest figure since 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Joss Croft OBE, CEO of tourism body UKinbound, said: "It is fantastic to see such positive growth in international visits to Kent, and these results highlight the valuable role the inbound visitor economy continues to play in supporting local businesses and jobs."

The number of domestic overnight trips to Kent decreased by 2%, but the overall spend for domestic overnights increased by 17% to more than £631m, and the length of stay increased by 8%.

Visit Kent said that this demonstrates that while consumers are taking fewer trips, they are still prepared to pay a good price for a good quality of product.

Croft added: "This improvement reflects the strength of the county's visitor offer and the hard work of tourism businesses across Kent."

The tourism board also confirmed that 11% of jobs in the county are classed as in the tourism sector.

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