THE 6.3 million annual visits to Colchester includes more than 15,500 youngsters who attend birthday parties at Leisure World, fresh figures show.

Statistics also appear to show the contested “visitor” figure for 2016/17 is made up of more than 300,000 gym goers, five-a-side footballers and swimmers also using the Cowdray Avenue leisure centre.

Gazette: Complaints – the pool at Colchester Leisure World

Visitor figures include swimmers who use Leisure World's fitness pool

The figures have led to calls for Colchester to ditch the Cambridge Model for measuring the number of visitors to the borough and instead turn to the STEAM model, which some experts say produces a more accurate final figure.

But council bosses say no plans are on the table and argue using the model every year allows industry experts to plot longer-term trends.

Jeremy Hagon, who will stand for the Conservatives in Lexden in May, said: “The Cambridge model employed by Colchester Council as a method to ascertain visitor numbers to the borough is essentially a low-cost solution resulting in quite variable visitor number results.

“The STEAM model is used internationally as well as across the UK including Scotland.

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Colchester Castle attracted more than 72,000 paying customers in 2016/17

“Colchester Council must do more than offer a yearly headline figure based on inaccurate data.”

Paul Smith, Colchester Council Lib Dem leader, said: “We know every year when we release the figures, we are going to face the same criticism. But if we kept changing the mechanism, we would rightly be criticised for picking and choosing which way we want to measure visitors.

“If people are saying we should start saying a visit to the castle by someone from just over the border in Tendring is more important than someone who lives very near, then where do you stop? We are being consistent.

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Entertaining - there are a number of interactive exhibitions in Colchester Castle

“You might say the people using Leisure World’s five-a-side courts are not tourists but some players may perhaps only work in Colchester and live elsewhere and all of a sudden once or twice a week, they are staying in the town to use our leisure facilities, perhaps using a restaurant or having a drink after.”

He added: “What we are seeing is tourism in Colchester is on the up.

“We can see that in the number of new hotels opening in Colchester.

“We are also seeing a big influx of restaurants coming to Colchester and they would not be opening if they didn’t think there was a market.”