A PLAN which will shape tourism and Barnsley’s visitor economy for the next five years is being developed by business leaders in the town.
The Barnsley Town Board met on Tuesday to discuss what is being done locally to entice visitors to the town’s attractions such as the multi-million pound Glass Works.
It comes after it was revealed that more than nine million visits were made to Barnsley town centre over a 12-month period, new figures have revealed.
Footfall in 2024/25 showed a continued, year-on-year hike, with its 9.18 million visits surpassing the 2023/24 figure by more than 2.5 million.
According to the council, the catalyst for the rocketing numbers has been the Glass Works - the £220m regeneration scheme which transformed the town centre and brought in big-name businesses such as The Botanist, Cineworld, Nando’s and TK Maxx among others.
However, town hall bosses also say Barnsley’s famous market has attracted out-of-town visits, with coach trips to the town up 90 per cent in 2024/25.
A Barnsley Town Board report said: “We’re developing a five-year plan to shape tourism and the visitor economy of the borough.
“Economic data is being used to understand tourism’s impact and focusing on enhancing visitors’ experiences and local pride.
“The total number of annual visitors for 2024/25 was 9,180,502.
“This is a higher figure than was reported the previous year, but
we must note a change in how we monitor footfall - from a static counter in one spot to actual devices within a bounded area.
“Car parking levels at the Glass Works and footfall in the interchange showed seasonal variations exacerbated by the reasons above.
“We saw 25 coach trips, which is a 90 per cent increase on the previous year.
“Most come for the market, demonstrating what pulling power it has.”
Forthcoming schemes such as the Alhambra’s Health on the High Street project, Barnsley Youth Choir’s NAVE venue, the ‘Base 71’ youth zone, the South Yorkshire Institute of Technology (SYIoT) and work on The Seam, on County Way - which includes an urban park and a 140-room hotel - will also go towards helping to entice more visitors.
Council leader Sir Steve Houghton, who is part of the Barnsley Town Board, added: “The whole point of investing in the town centre in the first place was to make Barnsley a place where people want to come and it’s already gaining a reputation from not only local shoppers but from other towns and cities, too,” he added.
“We are proud that our vibrant town centre continues to see increasing footfall year-on-year, drawing visitors from across the region and beyond.
“A key part of that is down to the Glass Works and the associated work we’re doing surrounding the overall scheme, which spans right from the Civic to the bridge.
“Footfall is high and it’s high for a reason: the centre is brimming with businesses of all kinds and there’s much on offer to entice visitors both from across Barnsley and beyond, which we’ve seen by the increased coach trips.
“We have ambitious plans for the future and we’ll continue investing in making Barnsley an even better destination, and spreading the word about how it’s a great place to work, shop and visit.”
