By Indya Clayton

DESPITE Westgate pulling in shoppers in their tens of thousands, it seems the university and its architecture still provide the biggest draw for tourists coming to the city.

The shopping centre has been cited as one of the reasons for the surge in revenue from tourism, with the latest figures revealing it is worth £2 billion to the county's economy.

Many of the tourists the Oxford Mail spoke to in the city on Monday hadn’t even heard of the new £440m shopping centre.

Instead, they were in awe of the historical significance of the colleges.

Homod Almuduyan, 27, from Kuwait said: “I’ve never heard about Westgate. I haven’t come here to shop. I brought my friend over with me to show him the colleges - especially Christ Church. Coming here is a nice getaway and Oxford is a really good place to visit. I just like the city because it’s small and cosy.”

Brittany Wang, 23, from China said: “I came here to see the university, not for the shopping. If I’m going to shop then I would go to Bicester Village. I also like Harry Potter and so touring the colleges was a must.”

Tourists seemed more drawn to the history of Oxford, its prestigious educational background and of course the famous boy wizard.

Rina Wallace, 62, from Holland said: “I’m just having fun with my family. Exploring old pubs, the Ashmolean Museum and the wonderful architecture. Harry Potter has definitely brought us here too.”

International students we spoke to said Westgate was an excellent addition to the city, and praised Oxford for its food scene as well as the beautiful surroundings.

Students Umuru Mitti, 23, from Uganda, Osama and Ahmad Shaaban, 17, from Jordan, studying at Oxford Brookes University, said: “Westgate is great because it’s a lot more affordable for us students but we wish there were more things to do leisure-wise instead of just shopping and eating out at restaurants.

"Overall though we love the architecture and history here in Oxford as well as the food.”