Oswestry looks to draw in more visits by coach parties

The town welcomed Val Baynton, contributing editor of Group Tour Operators journal, to see what it had to offer to tourists.

The magazine is subscribed to by over 10,000 coach and bus operators and is influential in its role in highlighting attractions worth visiting.

The visit was organised by a group formed to increase tourism to the area.

David Higman, who was awarded a CBE for tourism, joined a group that included Clive Knowles of the British Ironwork Centre to give Ms Baynton a guided tour around the town.

Mr Higman said: "Presently, most coach operators are bypassing Oswestry en route to North Wales, Llangollen for example or even Chester. Some of these tours can easily be persuaded to stop in Oswestry, which would certainly support the town centre retailers and restaurants.

"Other destinations locally could be teamed with the town to either encourage the tour operators to stay overnight or to at least schedule the area as a complete day destination, rather than only aiming at encouraging the stop en route visit.

"Linking the town with the British Ironwork Centre is certainly a partnership that will guarantee the coach operators' interest. The ironworks is of course on the approach to Oswestry and is ideally placed to share and justify a complete day in the area."

Mr Knowles said he has seen the potential for increasing visitor numbers in recent weeks and was eager to join the working group.

The businessman said the issue was something which needed to be addressed.

He said: "The volume of coaches passing our entrance has been counted and this summer amounted at its height to one every nine minutes. The scope for increasing visitors to the town and diverting these groups is unbelievably high."

The group has sent out invitations to publications, journalists, travel bloggers and commercial coach and tour operators, and hopes the visit by Ms Boynton will be the first of many by travel experts.