It found that 2023-24 visitor numbers fell 30,000 short of pre-pandemic levels, with 46,000 visitors compared with 76,000 in the year before the pandemic.
It cost the council £46,000 to run Exeter’s underground passages despite income of £97,000 from 15,000 visitors.
It hosted 22,000 visitors during the year alongside two “cultural partners”, Quay Words and Art Work Exeter, commissioned to create a quayside “cultural hub”.
Red Coat Guided Tours, which provides history and heritage city walking tours with the help of 31 volunteers, hosted 11,000 visitors visitors at a net cost of £12,000.
2023-24 was the first full year in which these facilities operated without opening restrictions since the pandemic.
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Exeter City Council reversal returns funding support to Citizens Advice Exeter
500 hospital staff apply to Royal Devon NHS Trust redundancy scheme
Devon County Council drops Matford huts redevelopment plan after local campaign
Devon & Cornwall Police underperforming in three-quarters of areas inspected
On Our Radar
SUNDAY 5 JULY 2026
Green Phoenix Festival 2026
Sustainability all-dayer returns with comedy, music, workshops, film screenings, community stalls and more.
EXETER PHOENIX
THURSDAY 9 TO SATURDAY 11 JULY 2026
Exeter Craft Festival
Hand-made ceramics, textiles, jewellery, artworks, toiletries and more by makers from across the South West.
CATHEDRAL GREEN
THURSDAY 9 TO SUNDAY 12 JULY 2026
Exmouth Festival
Annual event returns with four days of music, dance, theatre, crafts and more.
EXMOUTH TOWN CENTRE
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