Grumpy copper he may be but Inspector Morse is pulling visitors into the city like never before.

Fans of the TV show descend in their thousands every year to see at first-hand some of the dour detective's regular haunts and check out the scenes of some of Oxford's most grisly fictional murders.

Jean Ashton, Oxford's tourism manager, says shows like Morse are a great source of publicity for the city.

"They show people lovely bits of Oxford that makes them want to come and see it for themselves," she said, "and because it's shown in over 70 countries around the world lots of people get to see it. Although many people have an idea of Oxford as something ancient and beautiful they get a better impression when they see it on the TV."

Despite the strong pound making European travel so much cheaper, more holidays and daytrips than ever are being made in England - more than 111 million trips in 1997.

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