Can Newmarket become a tourist hot spot?

There are plans to turn Newmarket into a major tourist destination, with horses as the main attraction.

Behind the scenes

Discover Newmarket has been launched to showcase the location’s association with Thoroughbred breeding, racing and training, in the hope that more visitors will come to the town.

Attractions will take take tourists behind the scenes of Thoroughbred racing, with days out ranging from a tour of the National Stud for £11to a luxury bespoke tour with private access at the yards of leading racehorse trainers and studs.

There are also visits to theJockey Club Rooms,gallops and training yards, Tattersalls bloodstock auction house, and the Animal Health Trust, where visitors can see the research and equine welfare carried out there.

Racing community

Noel Byrne, the chair of Discover Newmarket and chief executive of the Bedford Lodge Hotel and Spa, said the aim of Discover Newmarket is to promote tourism in West Suffolk.

“The target is to attract many more people to Newmarket to see and enjoy what the racing community has to offer,” he said. “Every penny of profits from Discover Newmarket will be reinvested, for the benefit of the town and the local area.”

Exciting times

Discover Newmarket precedes the launch of the National Heritage Centre for Horseracing and Sporting Art, which is due to open in 2016. The new attraction is expected to bring an additional 45,000 visitors to the town.

“These are exciting times and we believe that we can achieve a great deal for Newmarket by working collaboratively for the good of all,” added Noel.