A project to promote tourism in Newmarket and create more racing fans was launched at the Jockey Club Rooms earlier this week (18 November).
Discover Newmarket is a community run project set up to provide visitors with behind the scenes tours of the town’s Thoroughbred breeding and racing industry.
The project also aims to educate the public and promote the heritage, history and culture of the town.
It hopes to increase the footfall to benefit local businesses, increase investment in the racing industry and provide the customer with an easy booking experience.
The days out range from a public tour of the National Stud (costing £11) to a luxury bespoke tour with private access to leading trainers and studs followed by hospitality at Newmarket racecourses.
Tourists will be able to see mares and foals at The National Stud, visit the gallops or Tattersalls bloodstock auction house and see the equine welfare work done at the Animal Health Trust.
“The target is to attract many more people to Newmarket to enjoy what the racing community has to offer. Every penny of profits from Discover Newmarket will be reinvested for the benefit of the town and the local area,” said Noel Byrne, the chair of Discover Newmarket.
All the current individual attractions in the town have agreed to hand over all tour business to Discover Newmarket from January 2015.
The project hopes to increase visitors to the town’s attractions which include the National Stud and Dalham Hall Stud by 50% over the next three years.
The opening of the National Heritage Centre for Horseracing and Sporting Art in 2016 is expected to attract an additional 45,000 new visitors numbers to Newmarket each year.
