FIVE new magazine-style guides have been produced by the city council in a bid to boost footfall.
Winchester City Council has worked with creators and designers to produce the guides for Winchester and the market towns of Alresford, Bishop’s Waltham and Wickham as part of the council’s commitment to economic recovery post pandemic.
It hopes the Winchester Destination Guide and Discover Winchester District’s Market Towns will entice people to rediscover what is on their doorstep and act as an important pre-visit read for potential visitors.
Cllr Lucille Thompson, cabinet member for business and culture said: “Winchester City Council has always been committed to supporting local business and these new guides and maps showcase the very best of them whilst also celebrating the district’s history, culture, and natural surroundings.
"We hope they will entice locals and visitors back to experience all that the district has to offer as we enter the holiday season and beyond, serving to aid the recovery of our visitor economy. Importantly, the guides have been put together using local businesses too – part of our commitment to procuring locally.”
To support independent shops and eateries in the district’s market towns, the council has also produced town maps for Alresford, Wickham and Bishop’s Waltham.
Local influencers and experts were also invited to share their favourite places in the district.
The guides were designed by Winchester-based boutique design agency Buttercross Creative and Winchester-based PR consultant, Miranda Rocksmith, worked with businesses in the market towns to research and write the Discover Winchester District’s Market Towns.
The photographs for the market towns guide were taken by Mike Hall of Northwall Creative Imaging Limited, also based in the city.
The maps were produced by Winchester-based freelance artist and illustrator, Jonathan Chapman.
Pre-pandemic, the Winchester district welcomed more than five million visitors each year, bringing in £350m for the local economy.
The work for the guides and maps has been produced with funding from the Government’s Welcome Back Fund designed to support and promote a safe public environment for a local area’s visitor economy.
All the guides are available from the visitor information centre on the ground floor of the Guildhall in Winchester or for download from visitwinchester.co.uk.
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