TOURISM in West Oxfordshire has received a welcome boost from afar after a glowing report from a Middle East delegation.

A seven-strong party made up of TV representatives and social media influencers from Saudi Arabia and Dubai visited a handful of attractions in the district, and the Cotswolds, this month. They declared themselves "bowled over" by what they had seen.

The group took in Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens near Burford, meeting lemurs and giant tortoises, before moving on to the Countryfile Live event in the grounds of Blenheim Palace in Woodstock where they enjoyed rare breed animal displays and cookery demonstrations.

They then spent the night at Four Pillars Hotel in South Cerney near Cirencester and took part in an off-road driving experience around one of the Cotswold Water Park lakes.

Yasmine Rashed, VisitBritain’s communications manager for the Middle East and Turkey, said: "The Cotswolds have so much to offer that we barely scratched the surface during this whistle stop tour.

"The delegates were bowled over by the area’s wide range of superb leisure and sports activities, beautiful countryside, world class heritage and architecture, fantastic restaurants and cafes and memorable shopping experiences."

Councillor Jeanette Baker, cabinet member for tourism at West Oxfordshire District Council, was delighted with the success of the visit.

She said: "Tourism is a major contributor to the local economy and attracting foreign visitors is vital for its continued success.

"We look forward to welcoming more people from the Middle East. I am sure they will all enjoy the compelling blend of beautiful scenery, fascinating history, diverse sporting activities and events and award winning food and accommodation providers that the Cotswolds has to offer."