Both have their virtues, but only one takes you across our beautiful county to experience the uniqueness of a Buckinghamshire winter up close and personal.

Only one takes you to those places that provide the warming experiences that fill our memory banks and photo albums: the attractions, museums, pubs, countryside, the place you didn’t know was there, the place you’d been meaning to visit for years but hadn’t got round to.

Why & how to support local tourism

Buckinghamshire’s tourism sector is not only a moment-maker; it brings tangible value to local people, supporting more than 13,000 local jobs and over 2,000 small businesses.

No sector escaped unharmed from the pandemic, but those businesses that rely on that most precious of things – footfall – saw their customers barred from coming anywhere near them.

Visiting and spending money at venues is one way of showing support for a rebounding sector, but feedback and proactive ideas can be just as valuable.

Your feedback will boost tourism in Bucks

Plans are being put in place to help the sector grow and support local jobs, workers, industries and communities.

Buckinghamshire Council has just begun the first phase of a new tourism strategy for the county, starting with a Tourism Survey that would really benefit from your input.

The business voice is crucial

You can complete the survey as BOTH a business and a resident (once each), meaning that you can represent the views and interests of your business as well as yourself as a citizen.

The council believes that residents, businesses and stakeholders have a wealth of knowledge and understanding of what the county has to offer, and they want you to share your thoughts on how they could make the most of Buckinghamshire’s cultural and natural attractions – as well as tell them what you think tourism businesses would need in the future to achieve their goals.

You already know how things can be better, now you need to tell the people who can make them better

Nobody knows Buckinghamshire’s venues, attractions, cultural hotspots and natural wonders as well as Buckinghamshire’s residents and businesses do, and that’s why your views are crucial to the success of the new tourism strategy – and why responding to the council’s survey is so important.

Visitors to our county have similar experiences, but it’s the residents who know what’s what better than anyone. You make the regular trips to our attractions, dine out at our establishments, check the bus or train timetables frequently.

You decide where to go based on multiple factors, including how easy (or hard) it is to get somewhere, whether it meets your and your party’s accessibility needs, whether a place is child-friendly, whether it is dog-friendly.

You come away from these experiences knowing how it could have been better, and you may tell your family and friends about it, and they may nod in agreement and say ‘yes, it would have been better had this been there, or had that been available’.

There’s no progress without feedback. If you have ideas that will help boost the experiences of people who live, work and visit Buckinghamshire, or on how to make the most of Buckinghamshire’s cultural and natural attractions, this survey is your moment of opportunity.

You can take the survey here > It runs until 17th February.

You can also try feedback of another kind

If you miss this opportunity, why not think of how you can provide specific feedback to venues and attractions themselves. Owners are always on the lookout for feedback (polite and constructive feedback, of course) so they can improve their offer with regards to services, accessibility etc.

Together, we can shape and protect the future of Buckinghamshire’s tourism sector and the businesses, jobs and incomes of those who rely on it.

Written by Philippa Batting, Managing Director, Buckinghamshire Business First