Tourism is big business in Buckinghamshire, but with more than half of all international tourism spend going to London, hard work is ongoing to ensure the county’s full potential is tapped into.

As is outlined in the Government’s report, Backing the Tourism Sector: A Five Point Plan, tourism is a money-spinner like almost no other sector. The emergence of this sector in recent years is clear: exports from the travel industry totalled £13.9 billion in 2003, and had almost doubled to £26.2 billion by 2013. Taking everything into account, tourism directly contributed nearly £60 billion to the UK economy in 2014 – nearly 4% of the entire UK economy.

The report states that “almost 1 in 10 jobs in the UK are in tourism related industries and jobs in the sector are growing at almost double the rate of other industries”.

Tourism has an equally prominent role in the Buckinghamshire economy, providing over 16,000 jobs across more than 2,300 enterprises. The 10 million annual day visits to the county draw in over £260 million, with another £140 million coming from more than one million overnight stays.

Buckinghamshire is well represented in the list of most popular destinations. Indeed, Cliveden House was the most visited National Trust attraction in England in 2013/14 out of all those that charge an entry fee, while Hughenden Manor, Waddesdon Manor, and Stowe Landscape Gardens regularly draw large crowds.

This is important as the government’s report makes clear that the UK has a lot more to offer tourists than just London. Although those who live in the UK already know this, with 54% of money spent by international visitors being spent in London, it seems the word needs to spread across borders.

Returning to the number of tourist trips made to Buckinghamshire, a look at the average spend for day trips compared to overnight stays makes interesting reading. The average spend across the 10.1 million day visits to Buckinghamshire is £25.80, compared to an average spend on the 1.1 million overnight trips of £129. This extra money is spent in hotels, bed and breakfasts, pubs, restaurants, theatres, and the like. This five-fold spending increase should encourage all those who have businesses within the local hospitality industry to think about how to persuade people to stay for a longer period of time.

What is clear is that, as a destination, Buckinghamshire needs to develop an offer which combines our Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, country pubs and museums with our large towns and their independent shops, restaurants and theatres and overnight accommodation. What could refresh the spirit better than to come for a walk in the woods, stop off for a drink, visit a museum, hit the shops, have a nice meal and then sleep off the days’ fun?

Fighting for Buckinghamshire is the destination management organisation Visit Bucks. The Visit Bucks website is complete with everything tourists, both domestic and international, need to know in order to make the most of a trip to Buckinghamshire, including ideas on accommodation, entertainment, shopping, eating out, culture, sport, and more. If anyone needed to put together an itinerary for an overnight trip, the Visit Bucks website is the place to do it.

It isn’t just tourists that will find this website useful – residents may find a few local delights they had no idea where on their doorstep.

Go to the Visit Bucks website now, and spread the word about it to those you know thinking of a trip to Buckinghamshire.