Oxfordshire MPs have been welcoming visitors to the county as part of VisitEngland’s national English Tourism Week.
Organised by Experience Oxfordshire, the Destination Management Organisation for the county, MPs visited businesses including Oxford Bus Company, GWR, Broughton Castle and Stonor Park, where they saw examples of the investment being made to improve the visitor welcome.
In north Oxfordshire, Victoria Prentis MP for the area, welcomed a group of 120 Chinese visitors to Broughton Castle with refreshments and copies of a Mandarin version of Experience Oxfordshire’s Visitor Guide.
The MP said: “I’m delighted to play a part in English Tourism Week and welcome visitors from China to Broughton Castle, a beautiful example of the attractions on offer to domestic and international visitors to north Oxfordshire”.
At Oxford station, Layla Moran, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, welcomed visitors to Oxford arriving on GWR’s new trains. Ms Moran also helped showcase Experience Oxfordshire’s new ‘Welcome to Oxford and Oxfordshire video’ running on Oxford Bus Company’s Park and Ride services.
Commenting on the improvements to the visitor welcome in Oxford, Layla Moran said: “The tourism industry is crucial to Oxford, Abingdon and the whole county and it is great to be celebrating English Tourism Week. Visitors can be assured of a warm Oxfordshire welcome when they arrive, but the new ‘Welcome to Oxford’ video unveiled by Experience Oxfordshire in partnership with Oxford Bus Company is a really great addition helping to greet people when they arrive in our city”.
Phil Southall, MD of Oxford Bus Company, noted that £4.5m had been invested in the company’s park and ride fleet.
In South Oxfordshire, John Howell MP for Henley, welcomed visitors to the River and Rowing’s Barbara Hepworth exhibition with David Worthington, director of the Henley River and Rowing Museum. He then continued to nearby Stonor Park to meet William Stonor and see the new Visitor Centre, which opened on 24 March.
Oxfordshire welcomes 27.6m visitors every year with the sector employing 1 in 10 jobs in Oxfordshire. Tourism to the county is valued at £2.04bn a year.
Speaking about the importance of improving the visitor welcome and increasing the number of visitors to Oxfordshire, Hayley Beer-Gamage, chief executive at Experience Oxfordshire, said: “We are delighted to be working with Oxfordshire MPs as part of VisitEngland’s English Tourism Week to highlight the work that Experience Oxfordshire and our partners have been doing to make the city and county a more welcoming place for visitors.”
Caption: Andrew Morison, commercial manager, Oxford Bus Company; Layla Moran MP for Oxford West and Abingdon; Wendy Bradley, marketing and communications manager, Oxford Bus Company; Martin Walker, head of marketing and development, Experience Oxfordshire.
