Tourists vote Stratford-upon-Avon one of six of the best
Warwickshire County Councillor’s portfolio holder for tourism has welcomed news that Stratford-upon-Avon has been voted the sixth favourite tourist destination by oversees travellers in the UK in an online poll run by Trip Advisor.
Stratford lined up alongside London, Edinburgh, Bath, Cambridge and Oxford in the poll on which over 1million people posted. Users were asked to state where they had visited and whether they had liked it.
Councillor Colin Hayfield pointed to the amount of work that had gone into keeping Stratford at the forefront of tourists’ itineraries. He also recognised the town’s contribution to the local economy in attracting tourists.
In 2009, nearly 5 million trips were made to the district, of which around 1.2million stayed overnight generating around £335million to the local economy and supporting around 8,000 jobs.
He said: “Stratford-upon-Avon is a beautiful town steeped in history with beautiful buildings. Its association with Shakespeare has enhanced its reputation across the world.
“It has been identified as a jewel in the crown in the midlands. This award has been voted by people who have actually visited Stratford and will recommend it to others
“The county and district councils worked together on the Waterfront Masterplan which redeveloped the Waterside and Southern Lane around the RSC.
“The councils also worked together on redeveloping Bancroft Gardens and a major Wayfinding signage project has enhanced the experience for tourists, daytrippers and residents.
“It is vital for the economic prosperity of the region that the county council continues to work with the Local Enterprise Partnership to make sure that this excellent progress continues.”
Emma O’Boyle of the TripAdvisor website pointed out that Stratford enjoys excellent transport links with a nearby airport and good road and train links but added: “For Stratford to beat a lot of other famous and more obvious tourist destinations is a fantastic achievement.”