The Christmas lights switch-ons in the city centre, Bilston, Wednesfield and Tettenhall drew crowds of over 35,000 people, while around 10,000 visited the Victoria Street Christmas Craft Market across five dates in November.

Visitor numbers to the city were also boosted by almost 6,500 people at the Lights in the Night, Lantern Parade, Fringe Festival and Christmas at Bantock events.

It is another success for the council’s events strategy and quickly followed more than 20,000 people visiting Wolverhampton over eight days earlier in November for the Grand Slam of Darts.

Ticket sales for the major sporting event - streamed live to a global TV audience of millions - were up by over 1,500 on the year before, and the total impact on the city economy is estimated at £3.7million.

Councillor Chris Burden, the council’s Cabinet Member for City Development, Jobs and Skills, said: “The visitor economy is an important part of the economic mix for Wolverhampton and its continued growth is critical for the local economy – and providing job opportunities for our residents.

“Through our events strategy we aim to provide a rich cultural and social offering to our residents, while at the same time supporting local businesses and our other fantastic assets and venues in Wolverhampton.

“These figures for our latest events are hugely encouraging and, working with partners, we aim to help grow the city’s visitor economy further.”

Data compiled by independent tourism research body Global Tourism Solutions for the West Midlands Growth Company and released in the summer, showed Wolverhampton’s visitor economy grew for the second successive year in 2024.

The city attracted more than 10.4 million visitors, with the visitor economy worth £506 million, up 10.6% from the previous year, and the numbers of full-time equivalent jobs supported by direct and indirect tourism activities rose by 4.8%, from 4,553 to 4,772.