Hotels ploughed nearly £10m into Bury St Edmunds last year to meet the growing demand of the town’s booming tourist trade.

Tourism brings in £49m for the local economy with more than 800,000 trips recorded each year.

From historic locations to state of the art new builds, hotel companies have been keen to capitalise on the increased demand for accommodation in the town.

At the Angel Hotel, in Angel Hill, a £750,000 refurbishment is under way to celebrate its Georgian roots.

MORE: Former army major breathes new life into legendary Ipswich venueNearby, the Best Western Priory Hotel, in Mildenhall Road, has completed a £750,000 redevelopment which extended its bar and restaurant, the first phase of a major redevelopment.

Kim David, who manages the hotel, added: “We will be looking to extend again in the near future to create a hotel with 55 rooms, recognising the needs of growing visitor numbers to Bury St Edmunds as a popular destination.”

Surya Hotels have invested around £250,000 in the Symonds Road’s Dragonfly Hotel - which they acquired two years ago.

All 71 bedrooms have been redesigned and new conservatory restaurant, Barley and Graze, is offering all day dining from breakfast through to dinner.

Bury St Edmunds’ first Travelodge, which opened last month, represents an investment of £8 million for third party investors and boasts a drive-through Starbucks bar café just off the A14.

Finally the All Saints Hotel Spa and Golf Resort has submitted plans for 70 holiday lodges.

Sue Warren, of Bury St Edmunds and Beyond – the town’s tourism brand, explained how the investment is so important for local people.

She said: “The investment that we have seen into accommodation provision for visitors in the Bury St Edmunds area is a fantastic vote of confidence for the continuing growth of the visitor economy in the town which brings £49.9million into our local economy and supports over 1,000 jobs.

“Tourism is booming in Bury St Edmunds. We have seen visitors to our website increase dramatically in the past year and a half and I applaud our funding partners for their commitment and foresight in investing in marketing to promote our town as a destination something that had been lacking for many years.”