For the bookworms on your client list, a trip to England may already be on their radars for the opportunities it provides to retrace the steps of major world authors, and now, fans of Jane Austen can do exactly that in Winchester.
In partnership with England’s Literary Greats project, Visit Hampshire and Winchester Cathedral have created a new product that packages a Jane Austen-themed tour with an afternoon tea in the Cathedral Refectory. The new package will encourage tourists to visit Hampshire and immerse themselves in the literary roots of one of England’s most famous writers. The themed tour provides visitors with an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Austen, offering insights into her life, her connections to the Cathedral and how it came to be her last resting place. The itinerary also invites visitors on a walk through the Cathedral’s historic ‘Inner Close’ to the house on College Street where Austen spent her final days with her sister Cassandra.
“We are very excited about launching the new version of this tour as it has such a broad appeal for international visitors,” said Andrew Bateman, tourism manager for Visit Hampshire, in press materials. “There is something very special about inviting people to step into a landscape that has inspired one of Britain’s best loved authors and are very much looking forward to celebrating her life and the wonderful literary contributions that she made to our country.”
The bookable products can be bought independently or incorporated into a new wider itinerary. The tour and can be purchased by a travel advisor ‘off the shelf’ or it can be tailored to a client’s specific needs and interests. The itinerary also recommends accommodations that relate to the Jane Austen theme or are quintessentially English. Also recommended are complementary experiences including food experiences, landscapes famous for film locations, and other local sites of interest.
For more information, visit visit-hampshire.co.uk. For other travel experiences inspired by the book-turned-movie “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,” click here.
