OVERSEAS visitors to Nottingham are on the rise – and the city's economy is benefiting to the tune of tens of millions of pounds.
Last year, 247,000 people arrived in the city from foreign shores, up from 215,000 in 2012.
They stayed an average of six nights and spent a total of £95 million.
But some city leaders have expressed concern that Nottingham could be doing much better, with 14 cities attracting more overseas visitors.
The majority of the arrivals last year were either visiting friends and relatives – many of them students at Nottingham's two universities – or on business, with 49,000 coming here on holiday.
Ted Cantle, who is leading the trust trying to secure funding to regenerate Nottingham Castle, believes the city should attract more tourists.
He said: "We are never going to compete with London but we should be pulling our weight much better and be closer to other big cities.
"With the legend of Robin Hood and places like Nottingham Castle, we should be seeing more people come here."
The figures have been revealed by the Office for National Statistics.
The number of overseas visitors to Nottingham was the highest since 2008, when 290,000 arrived in the city.
London received the highest number of overseas visitors in 2013, with other big cities such as Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool also doing well.
Nottingham also trailed cities such as Brighton, Bristol and Oxford but was well ahead of Derby and Leicester.
Mr Cantle believes that if the plans for £24 million to regenerate the castle come to fruition, they will result in many more tourists.
An announcement is due later this month on whether the group can secure money from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Plans include a new visitor centre, improved routes to the castle and an interactive Robin And The Rebels gallery, tracing the turbulent history of citizenship and rebellion in Nottinghamshire.
Mr Cantle added: "It would make a big difference. We could be competing much better and drawing in more tourists."
Jennifer Spencer, chief executive of tourist organisation Experience Nottinghamshire, said: "It is always good to see Nottingham as a popular destination and it is great to see that figures confirm this."
Many visitors pop in for a pint at the Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, one of the city's oldest pubs.
John Evans, supervisor at the pub, said: "I'd say there's a 70/30 split in favour of foreign visitors. They come from Europe, China and USA among others.
"They are always interested to know about the history of the pub and of the city."
How the major cities compare...
OVERSEAS visitor numbers and how much they spent in 2013.
1. London – 16.8m visitors; spent £11.3bn.
2. Edinburgh – 1.3m visitors; spent £593m
3. Manchester – 988,000 visitors; spent £408m.
4. Birmingham – 941,000 visitors; spent £363m.
5. Liverpool – 562,000 visitors; spent £225m.
6. Glasgow – 515,000 visitors; spent £185m.
7. Oxford – 456,000 visitors; spent £267m.
8. Bristol – 428,000 visitors; spent £167m.
9. Brighton/Hove – 409,000 visitors; spent £191m.
10. Cambridge – 404,000 visitors; spent £225m.
11. Leeds – 299,000 visitors; spent £118m.
12. Cardiff – 297,000 visitors; spent £111m.
13. Bath – 283,000 visitors; spent £90m.
14. York – 271,000 visitors; spent £87m.
15. Nottingham – 247,000 visitors; spent £95m.
27. Leicester – 146,000 visitors; spent £86m.
38. Derby – 98,000 visitors; spent £27m.
How do you think Nottingham can attract more overseas visitors? E-mail newsdesk@nottinghampost.com.
