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Tourism bosses hit back at critics
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| SPECTACULAR: Sunrise in Worcester with the bridge over the river Severn in the foreground and the cathedral behind. |
TOURISM chiefs have hit back at a national newspaper for criticising Worcester's "hugely popular" heritage.
An article in the Independent this week said: "For many years Worcester did not boast many notable tourist attractions. A porcelain centre and a dusty museum on Elgar were about all that the city's visitor website could muster."
The piece about the peregrine falcon family nesting in St Andrew's Spire, Deansway, was also cause for concern for Professor Michael Clarke, chairman of tourism body VisitWorcester.
"It is fantastic for the city's residents and visitors to be able to see the falcons but we were disappointed that the journalist from the Independent clearly hadn't researched the city's attractions properly," he said.
"We have had fabulous tourist attractions for a long, long time - such as the cathedral, refurbished Commandery, art gallery and museum, the river Severn, Greyfriars, Tudor House Museum and one of the most picturesque cricket grounds in the world, among others.
"We would be very happy to show Ms Dugan Emily Dugan - author of Independent article around this wonderful city for her to realise just how many top quality attractions Worcester has."
While the peregrines have attracted up to 500 people per day, about 80,000 people walked through the doors of Worcester's museum in Foregate Street and the historic Commandery in Sidbury last year.
The Elgar Birthplace Museum in Lower Broadheath is not only the composer's childhood home, it is one of only two composer birthplace museums in the country.
Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Peter Ainsworth, who is chairman of the Elgar Foundation, said: "There is nothing dusty about the Elgar Birthplace Museum.
"It is a vibrant, lively place packed with fascinating treasures from Elgar's life and works."
Similarly, collections at Worcester Porcelain Museum - described by the Independent as a "porcelain centre" - have been recognised by the Art Fund as being of great national importance. At present, renowned artist and printmaker Sara Hayward is exhibiting work which is the result of a 10-month museum residency funded by the Leverhulme Trust
Reflecting its popularity, comments from the visitors' book range from, "beautiful and British" to "well worth the journey". Visitor numbers are already up 21 per cent on 2007.
Worcester Cathedral, probably the city's most famous landmark, welcomes about 200,000 people every year and it is one of the last cathedrals in the country that does not charge an entry fee.
Nobody from the Independent was available to comment.
3:58pm Friday 16th May 2008
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