A NEW guide book about an Oxfordshire town will aim to help boost visitor numbers.

Witney Chamber of Commerce is producing a ‘Visitors' Guide to Witney’, which will detail everything there is to do in the town, including where to eat, stay, shop and visit.

Chairman Eleanor Martin said: “Witney is a wonderful town with a lot to offer.

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“Whether you are a day visitor looking for somewhere to have a coffee and do some shopping or a night visitor needing somewhere to stay and supper out, Witney has it all.

“The mix of small independent business and larger chain stores located along our High Street makes our town pretty special.

“And there are no out-of-town shopping centres – in how many other towns can you visit a large supermarket and walk back down the High Street with your bags?

“Witney has been well managed over past decades as a real working town, and has developed largely without visitors.

“It is not like other more chocolate-boxy towns in the Cotswolds, but it now needs visitors to sustain what it has, let alone develop its offer."

For the purposes of this project, Ms Martin said, the chambers the term ‘visitors’ to mean all non-residents.

She also said the chamber had seen a marked rise in people staying overnight in Witney – not just visiting for the day.

Ms Martin went on: “Our free parking is a very attractive aspect of visiting the town, and we need to encourage people to make full use of it.

“And when visitors do walk through our town, they really like what we have to offer.”

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The book will feature editorial pages about the town, its history, where to park and what goes on.

The guide will be free to pick up from local businesses, accommodation providers and Visitor Information Centres, and will also be available online.

It is seen as an essential part of the Chamber of Commerce’s campaign to encourage visitors, and help drive new business for their members.

The campaign and guide will be owned and directed by traders in Witney.

The Chamber of Commerce will invite members and other partners to come on board with advertising that will link to category directories and to the editorial pages.

Ms Martin added: "Here is your chance to showcase your offer to visitors to Witney."

All artwork for the book needs to be submitted as soon as possible to keep in with the aim to have it printed early next year.

For more information, email: witneychamberofcommerce@gmail.com