Experience Oxfordshire’s boss said Puy du Fou will “drive job creation, stimulate economic growth” and increase visitor spend” to Cherwell and the county.

Some 25 million visitors come to Oxfordshire annually, generating roughly £2.4bn in economic impact and supporting 40,000 jobs.

In the Cherwell district, where Puy du Fou is planned for close to Bicester, tourism spending is fast approaching £500 million.

Puy du Fou in France (Image: Puy du Fou)

“This sector is therefore crucial to ongoing economic development, prosperity and employment,” said Experience Oxfordshire chief executive Hayley Beer-Gamage.

“Puy du Fou will further strengthen this position across both the district and the wider county.”

Ms Beer-Gamage said Puy du Fou should also fill in a gap in the market for Oxfordshire, which so far it has been lacking on.

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The proposed development includes conference facilities for up to 500 delegates which would be a “significant opportunity” for Oxfordshire.

She said capacity for such a thing is “currently lacking” within the county and so having one would enable Oxfordshire to “attract more national and international business events, generating additional spend for accommodation and hospitality providers, and wider visitor economy businesses”.

Hayley Beer-Gammage of Experience Oxfordshire

Experience Oxfordshire’s boss added: “Oxfordshire is already home to globally recognised attractions such as Blenheim Palace, the University of Oxford, and Bicester Village.

“The addition of Puy du Fou would further strengthen the county’s position on the international tourism map, offering a compelling and diverse range of experiences.

“Furthermore, Puy du Fou’s commitment to job creation and local infrastructure investment reinforces the long-term value of this proposal.

“With an estimated £600 million investment and the creation of up to 8,000 jobs, this development represents a unique and significant opportunity.

“Experience Oxfordshire fully supports this application and strongly encourages the Council to approve it as a high-quality and transformative asset for the Cherwell area.”

It comes as VisitBritain recently said Puy du Fou’s operator “offers a truly distinctive visitor experience through its historic theme park concept” and said it “can see the potential for this project to generate significant interest and excitement among domestic and international visitors alike.”

The park would be open between April and October and would have four period villages and 13 live shows, eventually attracting an estimated 1.47 million visitors a year.

There will also be three hotels, each themed to different periods in British history, and a ‘state-of-the-art’ conference centre, which will be open on demand all year round.

The decision now lies with Cherwell council, and if approved, the new park will open in phases beginning in 2029.

Mastercard says British consumers are shifting leisure spending towards in-person experiences and away from digital activity. Its latest research found that many plan to rely less on screens and algorithms when deciding how to spend their free time.

The findings are based on a survey of 2,000 UK respondents, alongside wider European research covering 27,000 people across 28 countries. Two-thirds of UK consumers said they are prioritising in-person experiences this year to balance the time they spend online, while 60% prefer human recommendations over algorithmic suggestions when planning days out.

A separate spending measure from the Mastercard Economics Institute showed that experiences excluding travel accounted for 23.3% of UK consumer spending last year, up from 22.3% in 2024. That put experiences ahead of discretionary retail spending, which stood at 22.7%.

The data points to a broader shift in how consumers value leisure. Nine in 10 respondents said they were willing to spend less on goods if it meant taking part in more experiences, and 71% said lived experiences are now more important than ever.

Technology is among the categories people are prepared to cut back on. About 32% said they would spend less on technology and gadgets, while 26% would reduce spending on streaming services to free up money for leisure activities.

Human-led choices

The survey suggests many consumers want a break from digital mediation as artificial intelligence becomes more common in daily life. Some 69% of Britons said they plan to put human recommendations first and use algorithms less when making leisure plans, while 39% said they would not want to admit they had used AI to organise an event or experience.

There was also strong interest in activities designed to reduce digital engagement. More than half of respondents, 52%, said they expected to take part in more analogue experiences that encourage them to switch off, while 62% planned to attend digital detox or analogue escapism events where smartphones and connected devices are discouraged or banned.

Community also emerged as a strong theme. The research found that 62% were interested in what Mastercard described as communal coping events, ranging from repair cafes to group sessions built around emotional release. Another 61% said they preferred experiences that directly support local communities or businesses.

Travel and tourism ranked as the most popular summer experience category among UK respondents, cited by 78%. Food-related activities followed at 69%, then live events at 66%. Film-related experiences, heritage attractions, theatre, cultural events, wellness activities, family outings and outdoor experiences also ranked highly.

Preferences varied by age group. People aged over 65 were the most likely to say experiences create the best life memories, at 84%. Gen Z respondents were the most likely to seek front-row access to favourite events, while millennials showed the strongest interest in communal activities. Overall, consumers aged 35 to 44 showed the greatest appetite to try something new this year.

Nostalgia trend

The report also identified nostalgia as a notable force in the experience market. Half of UK respondents said they were seeking more nostalgia-based experiences, and 71% expected to take part in an activity that revives past cultural moments.

Mastercard and research partner Trend Hunter grouped the developments into six themes: analogue escapism, common ground, communal coping, conscious connection, halcyon days and indie everything. Examples ranged from vinyl listening bars and still-photography events to sleeper train journeys, themed supper clubs, second-hand fashion and niche community gatherings.

For smaller businesses, the shift could create a commercial opening. More than half of respondents said they would actively look to book activities through small and medium-sized businesses, while 54% associated those firms with higher-quality experiences. Another 57% said they would use local businesses more often if they offered experiences as gifts.

Consumers also appear willing to spend more in those settings. Some 68% said they spend more freely when out enjoying an experience, and 61% said they were happy to pay more for activities that benefit their local area or businesses.

Natalia Lechmanova, chief economist for Europe at the Mastercard Economics Institute, said: “We’re witnessing a significant shift across Europe as consumers reshape their priorities and the balance of their leisure time. Our findings point to something deeper than changing habits. As the pull of the digital world intensifies, they reflect a growing appetite for quality-over-quantity experiences, anchored in human connection.

“Whether it’s live events, cultural pursuits or activities discovered through a personal recommendation, people are leaning into moments that bring them together and leave a lasting impression.”

Trend Hunter said the shift should not be seen as a wholesale rejection of technology, but as an effort to draw firmer boundaries around leisure time.

Courtney Scharf, futurist at Trend Hunter, said: “The UK is embracing the human touch when it comes to experiences this summer, but this isn’t a rejection of technology. Consumers are adopting automation for the efficiency it brings to work and everyday life, while increasingly balancing this out by spending their leisure time in ways that feel distinctly human. The more pervasive AI becomes and the more of our lives we spend online, the more valuable those personal experiences are.

“AI can deliver great insights in a split second, but it cannot recreate the chemistry of people sharing a space, or the unpredictability of a live moment. People are filling their social time more intentionally – choosing live music over streaming, communal activities over solo scrolling, and deeper connections over quick catch-ups. 2026 will be remembered as the year consumers rediscovered what only the real world can offer.”

A major rebrand is on the cards after Santander UK’s recent near-£3 billion acquisition of TSB.

Santander UK is reportedly planning to phase out the TSB name following its takeover.

It marked the single biggest investment in Britain’s banking sector for more than 15 years.

Santander has completed its acquisition of @TSB, bringing together two recognised banking brands to become the UK’s third largest high street bank.

Read more, here:https://t.co/SUnRFed8Ki pic.twitter.com/0e2DOjkqfk

— TSB News (@TSB_News) May 1, 2026

TSB bank to disappear from high street after £2.9 billion Santander takeover

British retail and commercial bank TSB, based in Scotland, was founded in 1810, originating from the Trustee Savings Bank movement.

The TSB brand came about in the 60s, and in the 70s, the various trustee banks amalgamated to become TSB, with the brand then listed in 1986.

It merged with Lloyds Bank in 1995, which led to the formation of Lloyds TSB in 1999.

In 2015, TSB confirmed a takeover bid by Sabadell for £1.7 billion, and today, TSB operates around 175 bank sites across the UK.

Santander agreed a £2.65 billion buyout of TSB from Spanish banking group Sabadell last year, but said the final price paid rose to £2.9 billion on completion.

Now, after the takeover, Santander is reportedly set to drop the TSB brand and run the combined business as Santander UK once the two lenders have been integrated, according to the Financial Times.

Reports also say that there would be no changes to the TSB brand, TSB accounts or products for at least 12 months.

UK high street shops that no longer exist

A spokesman for Santander said: “The acquisition of TSB is about creating a stronger, more competitive bank in the UK, with the scale to invest significantly more in customer service, technology and products.

“TSB is a strong consumer banking brand and we recognise the value it has built with customers and within the UK market over a long time.

“We will consider carefully how to make the most of the brand value in our model long term and expect no immediate changes.

 “Our guidance for expected integration benefits remain unchanged at above £400mn in pre-tax cost synergies by 2028.

“Given the similarities between Santander and TSB’s business model, we have previously indicated that this may be exceed over time across the combined business; however, any upside would come across the combined business and beyond our planning horizon of 2028.

“Our focus is on creating the best bank for customers in the UK and we are optimistic in the value this will create for all involved.”

Oxfordshire TSB branches at risk of closure

These are all the TSB branches that are currently open in Oxfordshire and could face closure:

• Chipping Norton – Market Place, Chipping Norton Town Hall, OX7 5NA
• Wantage – 44 Market Place, Wantage, OX12 8AR
• Witney – 13 High Street, Witney, OX28 6PH

What does the TSB takeover mean for customers?

The Santander UK takeover of TSB will see the combined group become the UK’s third biggest bank for current accounts and fourth for mortgages, with nearly 28 million customers nationwide.

Santander, which is owned by Banco Santander, said there would be no immediate change for customers of Santander or TSB, who can continue using their accounts and cards in the same way.

Nicola Bannister, who became chief executive of TSB on Friday (May 1), said: “Today marks a significant new chapter for TSB as we become part of Santander.

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“I look forward to leading TSB as we combine the very best of these two great businesses.”

Mahesh Aditya, Santander UK’s new chief executive, added: “This is excellent news for UK banking, with the acquisition representing the single largest investment in the sector for over 15 years.

“Bringing TSB into the Santander group strengthens competitiveness in the market and is an important step in creating the best bank for customers.”

Will the potential TSB closures affect you? Tell us in the comments below.