Tourism in Stratford

Sometimes I need to think about the wider picture with #Cafdgg, I get so wrapped up with excitement of being able to exhibit the work of such a diverse and inspirational group of artists that I loose sight of what I am doing for my home town. I adore living in Stratford-upon-Avon and moved here to bring up my children and settle into the town.

To support #Cafdgg and get the word out there I am a member of Shakespeare’s England https://shakespeares-england.co.uk a forward thinking group who through their work bring a variety of tourists into the region to enjoy what our beautiful area has to offer, including #Cafdgg.

Did you know that for every £1 that is invested in Tourism our visitors spend £25, that tourism is the third largest export service nationally? Visit England anticipates hitting the 2020 40m visitor target in 2018 and locally it raises £314.2M, 7,300 jobs, 515,000 staying trips and 5,421,000 day trips; that in Stratford-upon-Avon since 2017 there has been a growth of + 82% and a mind blowing growth since 2010 + 169%?

As a Tourist Destination our visitors are staying longer, spending more and travel from London to visit the area following the ‘String of Pearls’ route from London, Reading with its link to Gatwick Airport, Slough for Windsor Castle, Oxford as a University City, Warwick for its incredible Warwick Castle and Stratford upon Avon for the internally renown Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Royal Shakespeare Theatre and of course #Cafdgg!

To keep the visitors coming to Stratford we need a range of visitor attractions and this is where #Cafdgg fits into the detail; we are a gem of an Arts Fair, vibrant, interesting, joyful, challenging whilst promoting the very best local and regional artists.

Stratford and the local area is more than Shakespeare, it is a vibrant hub of creativity and the more we can call it out the better it will be. So please talk to your friends, tell them about #Cafdgg, invite them to meet you in the Golden Cup Café and make Stratford the place to come to buy the art that you love.