TOURISM managers are looking to get Oxford's millions of annual visitors out into the countryside to boost the countywide economy.

Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council have joined forces to commission a private company to draw up a tourism strategy for the next decade. The report is costing £20,000.

According to some estimates, Oxford's nine million annual visitors spend £600m a year and sustain 10,000 jobs.

Across the county, Oxfordshire's 20m annual visitors generate £1.24bn and sustain 19,000 jobs.

Now, the plan is to further cash in on the recent boom created by films like Harry Potter, The Golden Compass and The Oxford Murders, all of which feature scenes filmed in the city.

Jane Lubbock, the city council's head of tourism, said about 90 per cent of Oxford's tourists only spent one day in the city.

She said: "They often come to the city and then go straight out of Oxfordshire - we want to get them to explore things to do and see in the whole county.

"Oxfordshire has so much to offer. We have beautiful countryside and fantastic places around the county - but sometimes it all gets missed."

She said that although Oxford was famous as a historic, university city, it also had a growing reputation for featuring in TV dramas and Hollywood films.

Business conferences were also on the increase.

She said: "We are seeing a larger number of overseas visitors and lots of different people coming into Oxford.

"We have increased the number of themed tours to over 65 this year and the take-up has been brilliant.

"We are globally renowned for our educational significance, but one of the things we are finding is there are real opportunities to develop the conference market in Oxford and Oxfordshire.

"Businessmen are still visitors and while they are here we want them to enjoy and see as much of the area as they can."

Helen Ryan, tourism officer at the county council, agreed that boosting visitors was not as important as getting tourists to stay longer.

She added: "We want tourists to visit the more rural parts of Oxfordshire and we don't want people to just come for a day."

Over recent weeks, The Tourism Company has been contacting businesses and talking to a range of interested parties about what can be done to improve the county's tourism.

The company is due to report back to the councils in early July.