The discovery of the remains of King Richard III at a car park in Leicester has proven to be prosperous for the city. According to a new study, the discovery has garnered more than £59 million for Leicester's economy, from the time of the discovery to the reinterment. The reburial of King Richard III took place at Leicester Cathedral on 26th March 2015.
The two weeks of reinterment activities generated approximately £4.5 million. Leicester City Council had assigned Focus Consultants to perform an economic impact assessment of the discovery of the King Richard III on the tourism and visitor economy.
The researchers focussed on the period from September 2012 to 20thMarch 2015. They left out the time of the reinterment as they said it would have an unparalleledeffect on Leicester, which is unlikely to ever be repeated.
The researchers evaluated and concluded that the additional visitors attracted to Leicester as a result of King Richard III were more than 600,000, which resulted in an increased visitor spend of more than £54.5 million.
