OTC Announces New Visitor’s Center

Mary Kathryn Herrington, Oxford tourism director, left, and Mary Allyn Hedges at the new downtown location of the Visit Oxford tourism office at 415 South Lamar in Oxford.

This Monday, June 10, is moving day for the former Oxford Tourism Council, now officially the ‘Visit Oxford’ tourism office for the city.

The tourism offices, which were split between City Hall and the Oxford Conference Center, will be combined in new space at 415 South Lamar, which also will serve as the city’s official visitor’s center for travelers.

“We are very excited about this new location and the opportunities it presents for us to better serve our visitors,” said Mary-Kathryn Herrington, tourism director. “Having all our staff in one location and having one consistent place that visitors can come for information will help us be a more efficient organization and better serve our travelers.”

Although staff are in the process of moving now, the new visitor’s center will officially open on June 10. The visitor’s center will be open Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Sundays from 1:00-4:00 p.m. Signage for the new facility was approved at the June 3 Square Preservation Commission Meeting.

The Oxford Tourism Council began operating the tourism office under the name ‘Visit Oxford’ in May. This, as well as the decision to look for a downtown location for the Visitor’s Center, both resulted from the year-long tourism research and strategic planning study just completed by consultant Berkley Young.

Visit Oxford will continue to offer a variety of services to travelers to meet their needs while in Oxford. Visitors may receive official visitors guides, event calendars, brochures and maps as well as any help needed in planning their visit from the Visit Oxford staff. Staff also works to recruit new visitors through advertising, marketing, working with travel writers and group tours.

For more information, contact Visit Oxford at 800-758-9177 or online at www.visitoxfordms.com or stop by the Visitor’s Center located at 415 South Lamar Boulevard.