A COACH ambassador scheme in the city will continue for the next three years after councillors voted in favour of the novel approach.

The scheme involved two ambassadors welcoming and assisting visitors arriving by coach, along with the group organisers and coach drivers in order to “maximise their enjoyment of a visit to the visit” whilst promoting events and local business.

Funded by Salisbury City Council and the Salisbury Business Improvement District (BID) it has run for the last two years, after councillors voted to bring back the regular feature which was axed in 2010.

On Monday members of the authority’s services committee voted to include the £3,000 needed for the scheme each year in its budget until 2020/21.

Council leader Councillor Matt Dean said: “I think the coach ambassadors do a great job and encourage users to come into the city centre, and encourage them to spend more money.

“It could appear a very unusual activity for us to be funding but there are benefits.”

Cllr Dean said that if more coaches visit the city then it will help improve congestion and gives visitors the opportunity to make the most of their time.

Councillor Simon Jackson added: “It is incredibly good value for money and it is great for the city.

Councillor Amanda Foster said that as the project is continuing that the council should approach Visit Wiltshire to contribute to the cost of the scheme, which members agreed with.

It is expected that the scheme will run during the summer next year, and the ambassadors will work six days per week covering Millstream Coach Park and St John Street drop off point.

STATISTICS:

The ambassadors welcomed 1,343 coaches over the 11 weeks they were working this year, with 492 different coach companies visiting the city – up from 366 last year.

The majority of overseas visitors arriving by coach were German.

The average number of coaches at any one time in Millstream Coach Park was 21, with the busiest days being market days and the quietest was Wednesdays.

The average length of stay has increased since 2016 with the majority of coaches (42 per cent) staying for three to five hours, rather than just one to three hours as in 2016.