Milton Keynes is the nation’s top city for ‘destination shopping stays’ reveals an independent economic think-tank report released this week.
Nationally, £1 in every £7 spent is made by a visitor to a city. The Centre for Cities’ Spending Time: the role of the visitor economy in UK Cities report provides a detailed picture of visitor spend across the UK’s 63 largest cities. It shows that Milton Keynes has one of the highest shares of visitor spend among all UK cities and ranks number one for retail spend from overnight visitors, making their spend a significant contribution to the local economy.
The report goes on to say Milton Keynes attracts around twice as many visitors as you would expect for our size – putting our city in line with famous leisure destinations such as Brighton and Edinburgh.
Milton Keynes has a significant regional pull for retail, leisure and hospitality. The average day tripper travels 31 miles to visit the city, with the average overnight visitor travelling 42 miles.
Over the years, Milton Keynes City Council and its partners have invested heavily in the city’s infrastructure and visitor experience to make it into a desirable destination to visit.
"This report recognises our city’s appeal as a world-class shopping destination, with centre:mk and Midsummer Place at its heart which people want to return to time and again. We’re proud to be a destination of choice and always welcome visitors to see all the great things MK has to offer, including our great small and independent businesses. Visitors are critically important to the success of our local economy and we have big ambitions to make our city even more attractive and welcoming for everyone."
“The role of the visitor economy to the UK, and to Milton Keynes in particular, is incredibly important. It sustains jobs, brings investment and gives the city a vibrant cultural and leisure atmosphere for the community to enjoy. This report shows the importance of the retail and hospitality sector in Milton Keynes, with overnight retail spend levels being the highest in the country. At Destination MK, we’re working hard with our membership, the City Council and other stakeholders to promote Milton Keynes on a local, regional and national level to help cement this position into the future.”
Visit the Destination Milton Keynes website to discover everything the city has to offer.