A Warwickshire tour company is preparing for another booming business year to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

Go Cotswolds, which is based in Alcester and provides guided tours of the Cotswolds, recorded double the visitors last year compared to 2019, welcoming a record 3,700 guests last year.

This surge helped the firm to secure an annual turnover exceeding £260,000.

The company has expanded its team with five part-time guides in the past year, additionally investing £150,000 in vehicles, with a fourth 16-seater bus scheduled to arrive this May.

Cotswold Journal: Go Cotswolds, which is based in Alcester and provides guided tours of the Cotswolds, recorded

The co-founders, Tom and Lisa Benjamin, report an increasing number of clients from India, accounting for four percent of their customer base in 2023.

Additionally, around 40 percent of Go Cotswolds’ customers originate from the United States and Canada.

Mr Benjamin said: "Investment in new vehicles and additional staff means we can continue to grow by capitalising on the rising demand we are currently seeing from both traditional and emerging markets."

He said Warwickshire County Council provided them with a £4,500 grant from their Adapt & Diversify scheme at the end of the Covid pandemic, which enabled his company to overhaul their marketing materials with professional photography, videography and design work.

As part of its anniversary observations, Go Cotswolds hosted Cllr Martin Watson, portfolio holder for economy at the county council, and Darren Tosh, operations and marketing director at Shakespeare’s England, giving them insights into the company's growth journey.

Cllr Watson said: "As an Alcester-based company, we’re delighted to see Go Cotswolds thrive.

"It’s great to see our support paying off and bringing additional employment into the area."

Mr Tosh added: "Go Cotswolds has played an instrumental role in helping to put south Warwickshire and the Cotswolds on the map over the past decade."

The company also secured £2,460 worth of funding from the Rural England Prosperity Fund, facilitated by the Stratford-on-Avon District Council.

Cllr George Cowcher, planning and economic development portfolio from Stratford-on-Avon District Council, said: "I’m delighted that the District Council has been able to support Go Cotswold with funding of £2,460 from the Rural England Prosperity Fund.

"The funding will go towards supporting their new two-day Cotswold Tour offer."