Winchester voted second best city break in UK
Winchester has been named one of the best for a UK City break - beating the likes of Oxford, Harrogate and Chester. The former capital of England came joint second with Kent's Canterbury, narrowly beaten by Cambridge, in new research completed by Which? magazine.
Winchester was lined up against other similar sized cities to find out what kind of mini-break it offers. Which? asked more than 3,600 people to rate over 50 destinations across the UK against several categories. Winchester scored a high of 78 per cent. The city's accommodation and cultural sights were granted four out of five stars by the consumer company. Winchester also earned three stars for food and drink, shopping, lack of crowds, value for money and getting around.
The city boasts a vast selection of high quality restaurants, shops, accommodation and an iconic cathedral. There is also a tranquil nature reserve and the historical sights of the Great Hall, which is the home of King Arthur’s Round Table, the Westgate and Winchester City Mill. Seasonal activity from the recent ‘Hares of Hampshire’ trail, the annual festival line-up to the much-visited Cathedral Christmas Market all add to Winchesters tourist offer.
Cllr Lucille Thompson, Cabinet Member for Business and Culture, comments:
“I was delighted to learn that Which? readers ranked Winchester so highly, noting that we pipped the winner to the post for value for money, which, given the current rise in living costs is another positive. A strong visitor economy remains pivotal to the overall economic well-being of the district and these findings along with our current data underpin this.”
Winchester has certainly seen an increase in tourist interest of late with website activity on Visitwinchester.co.uk up by over 200% compared to April to June 2020 and has increased by over 30% against the same period last year. Winchester retail businesses are also reporting a 20% rise in footfall between January and June 2022 compared to the same period a year ago 1.
For the full Which? best city breaks story go to https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/uk-destinations/article/best-city-breaks-in-the-uk-alWQr6P7b1Gx. Those looking to book their own Winchester ‘Staycation’ can find more information on visitwinchester.co.uk, including what’s on, places to eat, drink, visit and stay.
1Business Improvement District Business Barometer January to June 2022