West Oxfordshire District Council continues support for visitor economy as part of plans to get the District back on its feet
West Oxfordshire District Council is continuing efforts to support the visitor sector of the local economy which has been devastated by the impact of Covid-19 as part of its priority to build a vibrant local economy.
The local visitor economy plays a key role in the local West Oxfordshire economy with an estimated £247m being spent in the local area in 2019 and around 8% of the total employment in the district related to tourism, or around 4,400 jobs.
Across the country the visitor economy has taken a large hit over the past year as visitor numbers have decreased by an estimated 76% and spend dropped by 80% compared to 2019.
West Oxfordshire District Council are key partners in the Cotswolds Tourism Destination Management Organisation (Cotswolds DMO), which includes all of West Oxfordshire, and promotes the area, attractions and businesses to potential visitors both domestically and internationally.
As restrictions ease, the highly regarded Cotswold DMO has plans in place to help local business recover through new initiatives including training and support especially around digital marketing skills to rebuild the sector and enable businesses to adapt to the changing landscape as a result of the pandemic. These include a major digital marketing campaign to promote local businesses and bookable on-line experiences.
This builds on the support they have provided to businesses across the last year.
The Councils cabinet have approved setting up a new advisory board with other partners in the Cotswolds DMO to oversee the work in the coming months.
Cllr Toby Morris, Cabinet Member for Tourism, said; “Visitor spend plays a big role in our local economy and has fallen dramatically over the last year due to the restrictions imposed to control the pandemic.
“With light at the end of the tunnel and restrictions easing we want to support our local visitor economy to get back on its feet as a key element of our council priority to build a vibrant economy for the district.
“The Cotswolds DMO does fantastic work to support businesses in the local visitor economy and the plans being put in place will help West Oxfordshire recover strongly and be more resilient for the future.”