TOURISM is booming in West Oxfordshire, with new official figures revealing that £273.8m was spent by visitors to the district in 2013 – a rise of 2.1 per cent on the previous year.

The figures come from the latest annual Economic Impact of Tourism Study by Tourism South East, which measures expenditure on accommodation, food and drink and entry fees to attractions.

The rise in spending reflected an increase in the number of visitors to the district in 2013, with an extra 30,000 recorded, compared with 2012 – bringing the total number of visitor trips to 4.31 million.

Despite the difficult economic conditions since 2008, tourist spending has grown by 22 per cent since 2007, when the survey showed it totalled £224.6m.

Tourism-related employment also grew, with a workforce of full-time employees totalling 3,476, compared with 3,420 in 2012.

Across West Oxfordshire, tourism accounts for about 12.5 per cent of employment.

West Oxfordshire was the only district in the county to see an overall increase in overnight stays and although this was only 0.7 per cent, overnight visitor expenditure rose by 4.3 per cent.

Richard Langridge, the cabinet member with responsibility for tourism at West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “Once again, these are fantastic figures and I congratulate everyone involved.

“They reflect the importance of West Oxfordshire’s tourism industry, which we’re proud to support, as it provides employment and helps to maintain a robust and healthy local economy.”

To support the tourist trade, the council runs Visitor Information Centres in Burford and Witney and markets the district as the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, with the oxfordshirecotswolds.org website attracting an average of 360,000 hits a year.

An annual visitor guide and other specialist publications are produced both digitally and in print, featuring the towns, villages and landscapes of the district.