A GOVERNMENT minister has enjoyed a tour of Winchester’s tourism spots as the city bounces back from the Covid pandemic.

Tourism minister Nigel Huddleston visited some of the city’s top visitor attractions during a trip on Monday.

During the visit, the MP for Mid Worcestershire was given guided tours of The Great Hall and Winchester Cathedral, accompanied by Winchester MP’s Steve Brine.

Mr Huddleston’s visit comes in light of the Government’s national tourism recovery plan which is hoped to assist and accelerate the tourism sector's recovery from Covid-19.

Mr Brine said: “It was great to have Nigel here and to show him some of the special places we have on offer. We do need to kick start domestic tourism after a terrible 15-months and there's no better place to start than Winchester.

"The fact remains, so much tourism is from overseas visitors and the locals tend to miss out because it's just where we live and our thoughts often turn to further afield. Out of necessity as much as anything else, it's time to change that in 2021 and, frankly, we need to because our tourism industry needs the help."

Andrew Bateman, tourism manager from Hampshire County Council and Visit Hampshire, joined the MP and the Minister on the visit.

Mr Huddleston said: "It was brilliant to visit some of the many fantastic attractions on offer in Winchester and witness first-hand how the government's unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund is supporting the magnificent Winchester Cathedral as it begins to welcome back visitors.”

The cathedral tour, which was led by The Very Revd Catherine Ogle, Dean of Winchester Cathedral and Alison Evans, chief operating officer, showcased some of its greatest treasures including the 12th-century Winchester Bible and the 17th-century Morley Library which houses a collection of rare books bequeathed by Winchester's Bishop Morley.

The Very Revd Catherine Ogle, Dean of Winchester said, “We were delighted to welcome the Minister to the Cathedral. Over the last couple of months, the team has worked hard to ensure that visitors can return safely, and today we had an opportunity to discuss with the Minister the measures we have taken so that we can offer worship, services, tours, cultural events and exhibitions once again. We also spoke about how the pandemic has impacted life at this Cathedral and how we have adapted so that people can enjoy the heritage of the building and its rich history, which makes Winchester Cathedral so unique and special.”