'Not just Shakespeare’ service proves popular with tourists

“Not just Shakespeare”, the new tourism service set up following the sudden closure of ‘Shakespeare Country’, has already attracted over 5,000 visitors since it began operation just 6 weeks ago.

‘Not just Shakespeare’, located in Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, has been providing a vital tourism information service to both visitors and residents. Staff have been assisting up to 500 visitors each weekend, providing them with essential information about the town, attractions and accommodation.

The service has been so successful that the organisation behind it is bringing forward plans to open a state of the art visitor centre in Stratford from next year to this season. Along with a highly comprehensive website, the tourism service currently includes a dedicated telephone information service, free computer & Wi-Fi access as well as several leaflet racks displaying information on local attractions. Not just Shakespeare is already selling some attraction tickets and hopes to expand its ticket sales incorporating other attractions in the next few weeks.

Since the launch of its website last month, the ‘Not just Shakespeare’ website has seen a dramatic increase in the number of visitors. The website, which can be found at notjustshakespeare.org, provides visitors with information on Stratford including places to eat & stay, attractions, events & festivals, theatre & nightlife, shops, parking, sports & leisure, places of worship and information on the history of the town. Every business in and around Stratford has been listed free of charge so providing an invaluable and effective marketing tool. The website has been successfully marketed in the media to generate awareness and interest.

Dave Matthews, CEO of Seek the Magic Org said, "We’re delighted to be providing such an invaluable service and source of information for visitors. In a short space of time, we have assisted thousands of visitors, especially over Shakespeare’s Birthday weekend & May Bank Holiday which were one of our busiest periods. We are not a commercial venture and receive no funding; we purely want to help the millions of tourists who visit our historic town each year. Seek The Magic Org, along with its key partners are dedicated to providing a world class tourism service for a world class destination”

The ‘Not just Shakespeare’ Tourism Office is open every day from 9:30am – 5:00pm.