It was great to receive further confirmation of what all the indicators already showed – through the hard work of all in the city: Brighton and Hove’s economy is bucking the trend and continues to attract more visitors (“We’re the best”, The Argus, May 9).

This shows a clear trend, after we saw an increase of 4.3% in the economic benefits of tourism to the city in 2012.

Tourism is an important part of our local economy and the strength of our other sectors, including the arts and media and our reputation for sustainability, continues to attract a variety of visitors to the city.

For example, during these weeks we’ll be seeing more than 350,000 people attend Brighton Fringe and Brighton Festival events, bringing some tens of millions of pounds to our wider local economy.

It’s only through a healthy balance that we’ll be truly resilient to external shocks like the recession, and will continue offering UK and international visitors a truly unique destination.

Councillor Jason Kitcat, leader of Brighton and Hove City Council