Richard's current history
Richard's current history
Note that the year end summary report of Leicester Cathedral Chapter for 2013 (signed off 17 Feb 2014 by David Monteith, Dean of Leicester) said "Typically the cathedral had between 25,000-29,000 visitors per year (excluding those attending services) whilst in 2013 we welcomed over 150,000 people."
From the Leicester Mercury
Richard III will be 'more of a money-spinner for Leicestershire than Robin Hood is for Nottingham'
By PA Warzynski | Posted: January 28, 2015
Richard III will be more of a money-spinner for Leicestershire than Robin Hood is for Nottingham by 2020, according to tourism bosses.
Projected figures show that the county's visitor economy will overtake that of our East Midlands rivals within the next five years.
By 2020, the amount of money generated by tourism in Leicestershire will have risen to £1.62 billion.
That will be thanks to the huge interest generated by the discovery of Richard III, said Martin Peters, chief executive of Leicester Shire Promotions.
More than 30,000 people have visited the city's Richard III visitor centre since it opened, and 100,000 are expected by the end of its first year.
There's no denying Richard III has been a massive boost for Leicestershire. said Mr Peters. And there's no doubt it'll help our visitor economy overtake Nottingham's, based on the average projected rise in the East Midlands.
Nottingham is expected to increase by about 1.5 per cent and our projected rise is three per cent.
Based on those figures, we will be generating more tourism income than Nottingham, and Robin Hood, in five years' time.
However, Mr Peters warned that Leicestershire should still continue to promote all of its tourism hotspots and not exclusively concentrate on Richard III.
Nottingham are a bit of a one trick pony, which is something we've got to be careful we don't become, he said.
One thing Leicestershire is recognised for is the variety of attractions we have on offer, and its something we have to continue to build on.
Leicester Cathedral is also seeing a large rise in visitors as a result of the Richard III story.
The average number of people to walk through its doors has shot up from 29,500 to 365,000 a year since the king's discovery.
After the reinterment, the figure is expected to plateau at about 180,000, annually.
The Dean of Leicester, the Very Rev David Monteith, said: That's 180,000 pints of Everards beer, and 180,000 people staying in hotel rooms spending money in Marks and Spencer or John Lewis.
This discovery has had a profound impact on Leicestershire.
Richard III will be 'more of a money-spinner for Leicestershire than Robin Hood is for Nottingham'
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