FLOODS and the falling value of the Euro have hit the Cotswolds' tourist trade over the last 12 months.

Visitor numbers have fallen as British visitors stayed at home because of the bad weather and foreign tourists went elsewhere because of the unfavourable exchange rates.

The fall-off in trade has been reflected in the falling numbers of people calling at the area's visitor information centres.

Simon Coombe, the chairman of Chipping Campden's VIC, which is now in Rosary Court, told town councillors last week how the number of people calling at the centre had fallen from a peak of 48,500 in 1997 to 33,500 in 1999 and 30,300 in the period between March and December last year.

He explained: "One of the reasons we have seen a drop is because of our move of location, but I think we are now building the numbers up because people know where we are. The other reason is overseas tourism. Because of the strength of the pound there have been fewer European visitors and fewer visitors from the States."

This is bad news for the Cotswold economy and Mr Coombe said: "Tourism is important to the area. If we were to look at its value to the local economy it is quite substantial."

Mr Coombe said the VICs had an important role to play in providing facilities, such as ticket booking and timetables, for local residents and in persuading people to stay in the area rather than go to other places, such as Stratford.

It is a similar tale of woe across the area and Veronica Woodford, from the Stow VIC, said: "We are down on visitor numbers over the last two years. That's largely due to functions such as Euro 2000 and the Olympics, the weather and the exchange rate."

She added: "People from this country aren't doing quite so many ad hoc visits when the weather is bad. The Cotswolds is a walking area with lots of outdoor attractions and the weather we have had doesn't particularly entice people to come to us."

The number of European, Australian and American visitors has been down, although the Japanese have kept coming, but she said the Americans were beginning to come back in large numbers.