Experience Oxfordshire facilitates visitor economy online discussion with Anneliese Dodds MP during English Tourism Week

Today Experience Oxfordshire, the destination management organisation and Local Visitor Economy Partnership* brought together representatives from across the county’s visitor economy with Anneliese Dodds MP to discuss the pressing issues impacting on the sector.

This annual event, held during English Tourism Week, offers operators and decision makers the unique opportunity to come together as a sector and discuss potential policy solutions to local issues with key national figures and influencers.

With a record number of businesses attending, from seventeen sub-sectors of the visitor economy, representation was testament to the impact tourism has on the county and its individual residents.

From transport issues to the power of football as a catalyst for growth, the discussions revealed the symbiotic nature of the visitor economy and the need for coordinated, joined-up approaches to ensure continuing success. Anneliese Dodds commented that it was a privilege to have the opportunity to speak to so many sector representatives.

In setting out the current state of the visitor economy within Oxfordshire Hayley Beer-Gamage, Experience Oxfordshire’s CEO, said that although the county is recovering post pandemic, figures are still lagging behind 2019. Oxfordshire faces similar challenges to destinations across the UK, with workforce issues, amongst others, continuing to hinder business performance.

Anneliese Dodds MP spoke of the need to remove impediments hindering development. She spoke of the need for upskilling to assist with workforce shortages and of the continuing need for a re-evaluation of the visitor economy to change perceptions of the sector amongst potential employees and decision makers. She spoke of the success of recent infrastructure projects, praising the introduction of electric bus use within parts of Oxfordshire. She recognised the visitor economy as integral to local economies in many areas and of the changing nature of trip taking in the UK, caused by the pandemic and the rise in the cost of living, a situation which would benefit from greater economic stability.

A variety of issues and opinions were aired. A discussion on the place of AI within the sector highlighted the gap between the rise of AI’s use within business and the lack of IT skills within the older generations that comprise one of the UK’s most important visitor markets. Although important to adopt technological solutions to streamline operations, it should never be forgotten that human interaction is the essential element of a good hospitality experience. A call was made for a change in the business paradigm with more resources being allocated by businesses for training and greater awareness of what constitutes good and bad practice in the use of AI.

Considering the impact of government’s fiscal intervention the policy decision to disband tax-free shopping was described as a retrograde step, giving market advantage to rival European destinations. Regarding infrastructure, the need for investment in rail rolling stock was raised as well as the need for improved and sustainable connectivity across the county.

Hayley Beer-Gamage, Experience Oxfordshire’s CEO, in thanking Anneliese Dodds MP for attending the event said: “It has been fantastic to have had Anneliese’s support during English Tourism Week. She has held individual meetings with visitor economy businesses and today we are grateful to her for sharing her valuable insights with so many Oxfordshire businesses and organisations, many of whom are dealing with difficult operational and management decisions.

VisitBritain, the national tourist board, is predicting that in 2024 we will see 97% of 2019’s record figures for tourism, with a full return in 2025. Here at Experience Oxfordshire we will continue to work efficiently and effectively to ensure that our partners and the county as a whole gains benefit from this.”

Businesses present at the Visitor Economy Virtual Roundtable included After Cloud, Bicester Motion, Bicester Village, Cherwell District Council, Chiltern Railways, Experience Oxfordshire, Keble College, Kim Hallett Consulting, Mercure Oxford Hawkwell House, Oxford United Football Club, Oxford Bus Company, Oxford Unwrapped Limited, Oxfordshire County Council, South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils, Stephen Spencer + Associates, St Margaret’s Hotel, The Sandy’s Group, Value Retail Management Ltd, Wellers.

**ENDS**

NOTES TO EDITORS

Image: available via the following link.

Media contact: Lesley Wright / press@experienceoxfordshire.org / 01865 686433

Experience Oxfordshire is the official Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for Oxfordshire. It is the trading arm of the parent charity, Experience Oxfordshire Charitable Trust, and is a not-for-profit partnership organisation that is committed to the promotion, management, and development of Oxfordshire as a great destination to live, work, visit and do business whilst improving growth and productivity across the visitor economy. The DMO provides essential business advice and support to visitor economy businesses across Oxfordshire.

*Experience Oxfordshire was one of the first English destinations to gain Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) status. Developed and administered by VisitEngland, the national portfolio of strategic and high-performing LVEPs support collaborative working locally and nationally on shared priorities and targets to grow the local visitor economy.

For more information on Experience Oxfordshire go to www.experienceoxfordshire.org/partner or contact partnership@experienceoxfordshire.org

You can keep up to date with Experience Oxfordshire’s activity by following:

Facebook – Experience Oxfordshire
Instagram – @experienceoxfordshire
X – @ExperienceOx and @ExperienceOxBiz
LinkedIn – Experience Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire’s Visitor Economy
The 2022 economic impact survey results which show a significant recovery in volume of trips and related expenditure compared to 2020, but still below the levels seen in 2019.

  • Value: £2.17bn = down 12% on 2019 (17% in real term value).
  • Trips: 26.5m = 14% down on 2019.
  • Day trips expenditure is down 13% on pre-pandemic levels (15% in real term value) and overnight expenditure down 10% (19% in real term value).
  • Employment: 37k (17% down in real term value).

English Tourism Week is coordinated by national tourism body, VisitEngland, and this year takes place between 15 and 24 March. It highlights the sector’s economic importance to the local economy, building awareness of the innovation, quality and range of visitor experiences on offer in England. It’s also celebrating the skill sets and the diverse range of jobs, careers and developmental opportunities offered by the sector.

For more information about VisitEngland and English Tourism Week 2024 see: https://www.visitbritain.org/english-tourism-week or contact Charlotte Sanders at VisitEngland: charlotte.sanders@visitengland.org M: 020 7578 1428