The length of time overseas visitors stay in Bradford has more than doubled in a year, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics.

Of the top 50 most visited towns and cities in the UK, oversees visitors stayed longest in Bradford, averaging 19 days per visit in 2008 as opposed to eight days per visit in 2007.

The Travel Trends survey revealed that overseas visitors spent a combined total of 2.1 million nights in Bradford in 2008, up from just 826,000 in 2007.

Meanwhile, the number of overseas visitors who stayed more than a day in Bradford increased from 105,000 in 2007 to 111,000 in 2008, with their spending going up from £26 to £29 million.

In 2008, the district welcomed 5,000 overnight visitors from North America, many of whom were wooed by attractions such as the Bronte Parsonage Museum in Haworth, the World Heritage Site of Saltaire and Bradford’s National Media Museum. Meanwhile, 75,000 visitors from Europe had overnight stays in Bradford.

Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, Bradford Council’s executive member for environment and culture, said: “They are extremely interesting statistics, especially the 19-day average for visits.

“Visitors from wider areas are often coming to stay with relatives, whereas many of the North American and EU visitors are attracted by Haworth, the Media Museum and Saltaire.”

Sue France, head of marketing for Tomahawk Hotel Group, which runs Bradford’s Great Victoria hotel, said: “These figures actually bear out our own findings. We have also experienced an increase among the business and leisure visitors from overseas who stay more than one night. This also applies to business and leisure visitors from other areas of the UK.”