Earlier this month, Experience Oxfordshire welcomed the VisitEngland Advisory Board Chair, Lady Borwick, to meet with its Ambassador Partners at a dinner and roundtable forum held at Gees Restaurant & Bar in Oxford.
The event was an opportunity to meet some of the leading businesses and organisations operating in the county’s visitor economy that support the work of Experience Oxfordshire and to discuss the sector’s differentiating strengths and opportunities.
Lady Borwick, having arrived at Gees Gallery as a passenger on one of City Sightseeing Oxford’s newly launched, state of the art electric buses, heard from entrepreneurs, hoteliers, attractions, transport operators, retail specialists, academics and local authorities that support the work of Experience Oxfordshire. In a wide ranging discussion the group exchanged views on skills shortages and promoting careers in the sector; place narrative and connectivity; gathering evidence and making the case for external support; ensuring cross government departments understand the sector’s value and their impact on it and the importance of Oxfordshire working together to ensure maximum effect. Lady Borwick congratulated Experience Oxfordshire for its work in bringing the sector together and stressed the need for reciprocal support.
Commenting on the outlook for tourism this year, Lady Borwick said, “Our sector is about people working in partnership to create prosperity. It has huge potential for supporting economic growth across England and here in Oxfordshire you are particularly fortunate in the blend of attractions on offer to visitors, the breadth and depth of businesses operating here and the competency of the destination management organisation. Through collaboration we are all stronger and I urge the county to continue to come together around shared objectives to achieve your joint potential.”
Responding to Lady Borwick, Experience Oxfordshire Chair Stuart Crook said, “We are the county’s official Local Visitor Economy Partnership and we work to optimise opportunities to raise Oxfordshire’s profile domestically and internationally as a leading destination. As an organisation, therefore, working in partnership is our foundation stone and the diversity of businesses represented here tonight is testament to that.”
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