The Official Tourism Website for Herefordshire

Royal Visit to Tourism Birthplace

HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES HAS VISITED THE BIRTHPLACE OF UK TOURISM, ROSS ON WYE

HRH Prince Charles talking to well wishers in Ross on Wye

HRH Prince of Wales accompanied by the Mayor of Ross-on-Wye, Councillor Jane Roberts chats to members of the public.

Ross-on-Wye put on a right regal show to welcome HRH The Prince of Wales when he visited the town where UK tourism began in 1770. His Royal Highness toured a local producers’ market and met groups representing the strong philanthropic heritage of the town, including local community organisations and their local business supporters. He visited the historic Market House to meet members of the arts and crafts collective, Made in Ross and met local schoolchildren.

He came to Ross-on-Wye to launch the Gilpin 2020 celebrations. In 1770 the Reverand William Gilpin published the first tourist guide in Britain when the ‘Wye Tour’ began, and coined the term ‘picturesque’. The ‘bestseller’ guided visitors to the beauties of the Wye Valley, now an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

The launch of Gilpin 2020 heralds a year of activities, including an augmented reality project – Museum Without Walls, lectures, talks, films, the Ross-on-Wye May festival, vintage rowing trips, art and photography exhibitions amongst them.