Enterprise Oxfordshire highlight importance of county’s visitor economy through support of new presence on app

The Discover App has branched out to Oxford – launched by Oxford City Council in partnership with Discover – to highlight everything there is to shop, eat and do in the city.

An Oxford presence on the destination app, Discover – part funded by government funding secured by Enterprise Oxfordshire (at the time, OxLEP) through their previous Visitor Economy Renaissance Programme – was announced as live by Oxford City Council earlier this month.

Already a recognised tool for visitors and locals throughout the UK, the free app showcases local businesses, activities and useful information such as offers and promotions. The Oxford presence on the app will cover the central area of Oxford, including the city centre, parts of Jericho, Osney and East Oxford.

The project is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund – along with the funding secured by Enterprise Oxfordshire’s Visitor Economy Renaissance Programme.

The £1.64m Visitor Economy Renaissance Programme was created in response to the pandemic’s impact on the visitor economy, with funding secured by Enterprise Oxfordshire from the government’s Contain Outbreak Management Fund – via Oxfordshire County Council.

The wider programme ran between 2022 and 2024, and also featured the Visitor Economy Grant Scheme, where grants were offered to eligible businesses, alongside Enterprise Oxfordshire-led business support (then OxLEP Business) to enhance business competitiveness.

Over the course of the programme, the Visitor Economy Grant Scheme provided funding of £840,884 to 52 businesses in total.

The Discover App project gained funding as it helped to deliver against two significant action areas of the Oxfordshire Visitor Economy Vision & Destination Management Plan 2023-2028, a shared commitment to develop, manage and market Oxfordshire in a way that benefits business, local communities, visitors and the environment. The plan was also commissioned by Enterprise Oxfordshire through the Visitor Economy Renaissance Programme.

Aims of the app project include improving signage and orientation for pedestrians digitally and increasing footfall in wider, less commonly noted, areas of the city.

Councillor Ben Higgins, Cabinet Member for Future Economy and Innovation at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “Oxfordshire County Council are delighted to have played a role in supporting this project via funding secured from the Contain Outbreak Management Fund, which was delivered and managed by Enterprise Oxfordshire.

“The Discover App for Oxford offers a great opportunity for visitors to the county, as well as local residents, to truly explore all that the city has to offer.”

Helen Ryan-Wallis, Director of Strategic Development and Programmes at Enterprise Oxfordshire, said: “We are so glad to see Oxford go live on the Discover App and to begin to see the outcomes of this project be realised, supporting the flow of visitors across the city.

“As we are all very aware, Oxfordshire has an outstanding visitor economy, which was particularly prevalent pre-pandemic, with its world-renowned assets attracting 30 million visitors annually and contributing £2.5 billion to the local economy, as well as supporting 40,000 jobs.

“Through supporting projects such as this, we are working to action the objectives set out by the Visitor Economy Vision and Destination Management Plan set out in 2023, to achieve sustainable growth through encouraging longer stays year-round and generate more value from visitors coming to Oxfordshire.

“Tourism is a significant part of our economy, which is ultimately for the benefit of Oxfordshire and enhances our residents’ quality of life – so it is vital we continue to champion our visitor economy for the benefit of visitors, our communities, and businesses.”

Enterprise Oxfordshire became the new trading name of OxLEP on the 1^st of April 2025, marking the completion of a two-year process that saw a new mechanism of delivery agreed between Enterprise Oxfordshire and Oxfordshire County Council.

Since becoming Enterprise Oxfordshire in April, Oxfordshire County Council is now the organisation’s sole company member, and the company benefits from what is known as the Teckal exemption.

Since its inception in 2011, Enterprise Oxfordshire has supported the county’s economy to be a standout economy, securing major investment for the area, whilst also being instrumental in creating opportunities for communities across Oxfordshire too.

Find out more about the success of the Visitor Economy Renaissance Programme