Ramblers were allowed to return to footpaths across Oxfordshire this weekend after more than three months of closure following the foot and mouth crisis.
The red signs put up by the county council to ban walkers from the county's 2,400 miles of footpaths were taken down on Saturday.
The rural tourist industry welcomed the decision to reopen footpaths in a move that could increase rural trade.
Lee Coleman is the landlord of the Perch pub, Binsey, near Oxford, which is popular with walkers.
He said: "I've definitely lost a lot of business because of it, but since Port Meadow was reopened it's got better."
More than 60 per cent of rights of way in Oxfordshire had already been reopened before the weekend.
The county council took the decision to reopen the remaining 40 per cent of footpaths after revised veterinary assessments showed that there is little chance of ramblers transmitting the foot and mouth.
The Oxfordshire National Farmers' Union called the decision "outrageous", saying that the disease could still be spread by walkers.
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