Barnsley’s tourism ‘underperforming’ as twice as many people visit Rotherham

A report heard by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council‘s cabinet today (December 13) showed Barnsley secures two million tourists per year, compared to four million in Rotherham and seven million in Doncaster.

The report said Barnsley is ‘underperforming’ in terms of its visitor economy, despite a ‘very strong culture, heritage and landscape offer’.

The borough is set to receive £7.2m from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, which will be used to refurbish its 14 district libraries, create new green spaces and community gardens, and invest in community groups.

Councillor James Higginbottom told the meeting that his ward, Wombwell, has a ‘rich tapestry of community arts and culture’ but the area has ‘so much more potential that we can continue to develop in order to enable people to be able to access things such as public art’.