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Push to lure Japanese tourists back to Cotswolds

Georgia Stone
BBC News, Gloucestershire
BBC A group of eight Japanese tour operators and two representatives from Visit Britain pose with Caroline Lowsley-Williams, owner of Chavenage House, in the middle. Most are smiling at the camera and some are holding up a Chavenage House brochure. They are stood outside a large ornate black door, and the mottled Cotswold stone walls of the house can be seen behind them. BBC
Local tourism representatives show Japanese tour operators around Chavenage House in Tetbury

Just a few years ago, before the pandemic, Japanese tourists were contributing £14m annually to the South West economy.

Numbers have since dwindled – which is why local tourism representatives have spent the last week showing off the Cotswolds to Japanese tour operators.

Highlights included a stop at Chavenage House, the Grade I listed Elizabethan manor used to film Poldark and Disney's Rivals, and a British etiquette lesson.

It is hoped the visit will drive numbers of Japanese tourists back up to the pre-pandemic average of 25,000 a year.

That figure dropped by 80% in 2023, and those that did visit spent just £2m in local businesses, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

A group of Japanese tour operators huddles together as a woman in the middle takes a selfie on a pink phone. Everyone is wearing a coat and they are standing outside a cream-coloured old stone building.
The tour operators take a selfie during their Cotswolds holiday

"We are working so hard to get those Japan visitor numbers back up, especially with visits to the Cotswolds, which they know and love so much," said Robin Tjolle, from Visit England, who accompanied the visit, which was coordinated by VisitBritain with Cotswolds Tourism.

He added that the tourism industry as a whole was worth £1.5bn to the South West.

A Japanese woman is smiling and looking directly at the camera. She is wearing a navy blue coat and cream roll neck jumper. She has dark hair cut in a bob.
Travel operator Tamami Hagihara said the scenery was "very beautiful"

Tamami Hagihara, who works for Japanese travel operator ATI, said she would be sharing details of the trip with her clients.

"I will tell them about the very beautiful scenery and landscapes, the local food and that the people are very kind," she said.

She added: "Japanese people love to learn about the history of places they visit."

A woman with blonde hair is looking directly at the camera. She is wearing a tweed brown and gold blazer.
Emma Dupont gave the visitors a lesson in British etiquette

The group went on a walking tour of Cirencester, then had a lesson in British etiquette from Emma Dupont, from Exquisite Cotswolds.

Visitors were taught which cutlery to use and when, and how to "cheers" correctly.

Mrs Dupont said it was a "great opportunity to showcase British heritage and customs in a light-hearted and immersive manner".

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