Celebrating the power of the visitor economy, top representatives from across the county’s hospitality and tourism sectors gathered for an exclusive lunch during English Tourism Week 2026.
With a menu curated, created and served by the students of Activate Learning’s state-of-the-art hospitality school in Oxford, the lunch was a great opportunity for the learners to display their knowledge and skills and for Experience Oxfordshire’s invited guests to meet potential future employees.
Andy Slater, Group Director at the Lifestyles Faculty, Activate Learning said: “This is the third Hospitality Lunch organised by Activate Learning with Experience Oxfordshire and it has become a highlight in the learners’ schedule. Tourism is a people profession and Activate Learning seeks to give our learners the skills to grow both academically and professionally. We are committed to supporting our learners and the hospitality sector by delivering training that allows our students to develop their confidence and competencies. This is one of the many exciting collaboration opportunities that we are delighted to be part of as an Experience Oxfordshire Ambassador Partner.”
Activate Learning has three colleges in Oxfordshire, the City of Oxford College and University Centre, The Leys College, and the Banbury and Bicester College. They offer the local community a variety of technical, vocational and academic education and training opportunities ranging from entry level, full-time academic and vocational study programmes, apprenticeships, leisure courses and university-level qualifications.Guests enjoyed a delicious range of canapés followed by a first course of beetroot carpaccio with goat’s cheese and walnuts; main courses offered pan fried chicken supreme, white bean cassoulet with wild garlic, and a vegetarian option of miso glazed cauliflower with white bean cassoulet and purple sprouting broccoli; for dessert a vanilla panna cotta or vanilla crème brûlée both served with roasted rhubarb, all prepared by the young chefs under the guidance of their highly experienced tutors.
“I congratulate the team on the delivery of a high-quality lunch with great service. I hope the learners will all take a minute to reflect on what they have achieved. I was impressed with the ability and confidence of those involved, all of whom appear ready to take that step into the professional hospitality world. I’m grateful to have been invited today to meet with some of the learners, and hope that some of them will be able to join us working in our hotel one day.”
Keeley Dennyschene, Director of Sales & Marketing, Hilton Garden Inn Abingdon Oxford
The success of Activate Learning’s programmes was demonstrated by guests Gemma Jones, Hotel Operations Manager at The Feathers Hotel in Woodstock and Abbie Warmington, Junior Sous Chef at Oxford Fine Dining, who are both alumni of the Oxford Campus.
At the end of service, learner Vinnie Brown said: “I’m really enjoying my training with Activate Learning. It’s a great team and we’re learning from the best - our tutors have worked in top establishments and we benefit from that. Today’s lunch has been helpful in bringing all we’ve learnt to a live situation, cooking for a room of industry professionals. In the future I hope to use my skills working in private catering and experience working internationally.”
During English Tourism Week 2026, businesses active in the visitor economy have been invited to celebrate the economic and social contribution the sector makes to their local community and the country at large. Experience Oxfordshire as the county’s official Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) has used the week to promote the destination to political and business influencers.
The team organised for all seven of Oxfordshire’s members of parliament to meet with businesses within their constituencies, including The Feathers Hotel, Heythrop Park Hotel, Milton Hill House, Modern Art Oxford, voco Oxford Spires, Waterperry Gardens and Wood Brothers Distilling Company, to discuss their opportunities and operational challenges.
Meanwhile the Experience Oxfordshire team along with partners, Escapade Silverstone, Go Cotswolds, Leonardo Royal Hotel Oxford, Mercure Oxford Eastgate Hotel, Oxford Official Walking Tours, The Sky Wave Distilling Company and Waddesdon Manor, met with agents and buyers at the British Tourism & Travel Show at the NEC in Birmingham to encourage them to sell on the county’s accommodation, attractions and experiences to their clients.
Figures from VisitBritain, the national tourism agency, indicate the extent of opportunity available for people considering working within the visitor economy. Tourism currently supports 2.4 million jobs across the UK, nearly one in every 15 jobs. The sector is forecast to grow by 9.3% in value, creating an additional 175,000 jobs by 2030.
VisitEngland’s English Tourism Week is an opportunity to showcase the value of the visitor economy and the range of employment opportunities it offers.Hayley Beer-Gamage, CEO of Experience Oxfordshire speaking after the Hospitality Lunch said: “Here in Oxfordshire, over 40,000 people are employed in the visitor economy, meaning 11% of all jobs in the county rely on tourism. To ensure Oxfordshire benefits from the sector’s forecasted growth, a trained and enthusiastic workforce is essential. That’s why we are proud to be working alongside our Ambassador Partner, Activate Learning, to support the development of the next generation of tourism professionals. Together, we are creating a pipeline of talented learners seeking opportunities and connecting them with employers who need trained, professional staff. Today’s collaboration saw new partnerships formed, and we look forward to following the progress of these learners as they grow their careers in Oxfordshire’s thriving visitor economy.”
Experience Oxfordshire offers partners a free platform for posting current job vacancies:experienceoxfordshire.org/jobs.Attending the lunch were representatives from Bodleian Libraries, Dragon School Oxford, The Feathers Hotel, Flight Club Oxford, Hilton Garden Inn Abingdon Oxford, The Gathering House, Holiday Inn Oxford, Linton Lodge Oxford, Malmaison Oxford, Oxford Fine Dining, The Randolph Hotel Oxford a Graduate by Hilton, Six by Nico, The Store Oxford, Victors Oxford, Waterperry Gardens, and Westgate Oxford.
