The Covid-19 pandemic devastated Oxfordshire’s tourism industry, wiping £1.5bn off the value of the visitor economy, according to new figures.
The county’s destination management organisation Experience Oxfordshire has revealed how tourism suffered extensively in 2020, resulting in significant job losses.
The Economic Impact Report for Tourism in Oxfordshire, a report commissioned by the destination management organisation, shows a staggering 59% decline in the value of tourism – from £2.5bn to £1bn – and a substantial decline of 39% in jobs supported by the sector – from 42,000 to 25,000.
Experience Oxfordshire said it was concerned about ‘post pandemic recovery’ as the pandemic continues to have an effect on visitor numbers.
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Overall, there was a 51% decline in trip volume from 30 million in 2019 to 14.5 million in 2020.
Hayley Beer-Gamage, chief executive of Experience Oxfordshire,…