Experience Oxfordshire has announced the launch of a new tour, Oxford On Screen, as part of Oxford Official Walking Tours. The tours recently received the 2024 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award, based on a full year of positive reviews, placing Oxford Official Walking Tours among the top 10% of attractions worldwide
The most popular tour amongst visitors is the Oxford University & City Tour during which, in addition to sharing historical facts, fables and gossip, guides can explain the collegiate aspect of the University, a concept with which visitors are often unfamiliar. The Oxford On Screen tour explores Oxford’s role as a backdrop to TV and film, identifying locations featured in productions including Harry Potter, Saltburn, Wonka, James Bond, and Mamma Mia 2, plus shows including Inspector Morse, Lewis, and Endeavour.
Oxford On Screen public tours will last two hours and run twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays at 11:30am, starting on 25 July 2024. The tour is also available for private and group bookings. All Oxford Official Walking Tours are limited to 20 people per group to ensure an optimal experience. Their team of friendly, knowledgeable guides also offers specialist tours that follow in the footsteps of renowned authors and academics, including C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
Hayley Beer-Gamage, Experience Oxfordshire CEO said, “We have long recognised screen tourism as a driver for choosing a leisure tourism destination, but this desire to “be where it happened” has grown exponentially in the Instagram age. Expedia Group have stated that more than half of international travellers revealed to them that TV shows and films inspire their travel plans. According to the British Film Institute (BFI), inbound tourists spent an estimated £892.6 million on film-related screen tourism in the UK in 2019.
“In launching this new tour, we aim to capitalise on this interest for the benefit of the city. Our guides are often the first point of contact visitors have here and they are able to explain Oxford’s layout, point out landmarks and influence visitor movement around the centre. Our city has provided the perfect backdrop for many influential productions and we’re really looking forward to presenting our destination to this audience.”
Last year, VisitBritain officially recognised the importance of film and TV viewing as a key motivator for travel when it signed an agreement with the British Film Commission. The upcoming global campaign ‘Starring GREAT Britain‘ will use filming locations and associated visitor experiences as a basis for exploring the UK’s nations and regions.
During the summer months and until the end of October, Oxford Official Walking Tours will be offering an extended programme of activity.
Click here for more information or email Official Tours for bookings.
