Chester Zoo has been featured in a recent report highlighting the positive impact of tourism on UK communities.

The report released today (15 May) by VisitEngland has been hailed by Marketing Cheshire - the tourism body for Cheshire and Warrington.

It found evidence of significantly higher levels of community pride, sense of wellbeing and social cohesion amongst residents living and working in areas frequented by both domestic and international visitors, such as Chester.

The research features a case study on Chester Zoo, citing its sustainable practices and educational outreach make it a "model for conservation-focused tourism that benefits both people and the planet."

Jamie Christon, CEO of Chester Zoo, also chairs the Marketing Cheshire Board.

In the report, he adds: "We are both a conservation education charity and a visitor attraction.

Primarily, our charitable objectives are to protect the natural world by preventing extinction but also to educate visitors and others interacting with the zoo.

"We don't get any government funding or from councils - the majority of the money comes from admissions into the zoo.

"We depend on visitors for the zoo to survive."

Responding to the findings, Cristian Marcucci, managing director of Marketing Cheshire, said: "The Cheshire and Warrington visitor economy is worth £3.9billion a year, around 10% of the sub-region's entire economy, and supports 38,000 jobs.

"Our attractions, destinations and hospitality businesses are also a massive part of our identity and appeal, not just as a place to visit, but a place to live and work too.

"This important research goes even further in showing the importance of tourism to residents by increasing community pride, wellbeing and how connected people feel to the places they live in.

"The report also demonstrates how our sector is a powerful tool for job creation and social mobility - offering routes into work for people from all backgrounds, especially in rural areas."

The VisitEngland report is available here.