Such is Bath's success as a tourist destination that the UK's new tourism minister was recently advised to visit the city to see an example of best practice.

Bath day trips are popular among tourists, who are often keen to check out attractions such as the Roman baths, Pulteney Bridge and Royal Crescent in the Unesco World Heritage Site.

However, the way its tourism is organised was praised recently by VisitEngland, which sent chairwoman Lady Cobham and chief executive James Berresford to see the city for themselves.

They later advised MP and tourism minister John Penrose to meet officials from Bath Tourism Plus.

"There are a number of places in the UK where we are doing things well and Bath, by any estimate, is one of the best in the country," he explained during his visit.

"I'm here to find out what we can apply in other parts of the country."

The success of the part private, part public Bath Tourism Plus can be seen by the fact that just 20 per cent of its funding comes from the public sector.

As well as the historic sites, Bath also offers great shopping, golf, hot air ballooning, cycling and other activities.