Tourist attractions across Warwickshire are offering people around the world the opportunity to take virtual tours of the area during lockdown, hailing online tourism as the next big trend.
Helen Peters, Chief Executive of Shakespeare’s England, has praised the industry’s response to moving resources online and sees e-tourism as a new way to ‘visit’ a region. Helen said, ”
These are difficult times for the tourism industry, but it’s great to see so many new and creative ideas being used for attractions to bring a taste of Warwickshire to people at home.
“Armchair travelling will become the next big thing for people who are planning where they want to visit once it is safe to do so, which means being able to virtually interact with and tour these attractions will be crucial to the travel industry over the next few months.
“Lots of attractions in Warwickshire have increased their online offering with virtual tours, workshops and videos for people to interact with their businesses so we hope lots of travel-lovers will get involved with this new method of ‘visiting’ our top attractions.”
Attractions available to tour online include:
Kenilworth Castle – the best stories from England’s history will be shared on the English Heritage Facebook page.
Market Hall Museum – images of the museum’s collections, archives and stories will be shared online, alongside downloadable family activity packs.
Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon – services will be live-streamed on their Facebook page.
Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust – discover the life, times and works of Shakespeare via the Trust’s digital platforms. Enjoy a video tour of the five historic sites, discover fascinating online exhibitions that reveal treasures from the Trust’s world-class collections, download educational resources and explore Shakespedia for a glimpse into the life of the man behind the works.
Royal Shakespeare Company – working with Marquee TV, the RSC is offering a free 30-day trial, allowing people to watch 18 Shakespeare productions for free. The Shakespeare Learning Zone features a range of fun and educational information about Shakespeare’s plays and themes for students, or take a virtual tour to learn about how the RSC brings plays to life. The RSC has also teamed up with BBC for Culture in Quarantine where plays will be available on iPlayer.
Shakespeare Distillery – shop their new Home Gin Tasting Kits and learn all about the flavours and process behind production.
Leamington Spa Art Gallery – get creative at home with their online workshops, suitable for all ages.
