People living in the London borough of Hammersmith & Fulham are being offered free and discounted tickets for local events and attractions in order to encourage them to see the borough through the eyes of a tourist, in a new campaign supported by the council and the BBC.

Residents are being given the chance to take part in one of three free walking tours led by expert Blue Badge Guides, and to get a 20% reduction on tickets for the BBC television centre tour during May and June, as part of the Discover What’s on your Doorstep campaign, which is being led by the borough’s Towns & Tourism team.

Discover What’s on your Doorstep aims to increase awareness of the quality and range of visitor attractions in the borough, so that residents choose to spend more of their leisure time close to home. As well as the walking tours and BBC discount, the Towns & Tourism team is offering free visitor maps and guides, available from libraries and the Visitor Centre in Hammersmith Broadway, and has set up three websites to promote Hammersmith, Fulham and Shepherds Bush.

Visitor Development officer Catherine Knight says: “How about an educational Saturday afternoon at Fulham Palace, the oldest palace in London, followed by a trip to the antiques shops on Lots Road? Or a fun Saturday night at the Bush Theatre rounded off by a trip to Ginglick, the bar that used to be a Victorian toilet? Or perhaps a relaxing Sunday stroll along the Thames Path, followed by lunch at a riverside pub, and then a cycle ride on an OY bike over Hammersmith Bridge to the London Wetlands Centre?"

The three free walking tours being offered to residents as part of the Discover What’s on your Doorstep campaign are: Unravelling Hammersmith Riverside, Fulham Past & Present, and Middle Eastern Culture in Shepherds Bush. Residents can find details of how to apply for both the walks and the discounted tickets to the BBC backstage tour in HFm, the borough magazine delivered to all homes and libraries. Or they can email tourism@lbhf.gov.uk

Cllr Dame Sally Powell, cabinet member for regeneration and chair of Regenasis, said, “Not only does the borough offer a terrific range of cultural, sporting and entertainment attractions, but it also now boasts three revitalised town centres, with the new, piazza-style Lyric Square in Hammersmith, the greener, more spacious Shepherds Bush Green and the smarter, more attractive North End Road in Fulham.”

The borough attracts about 5 million visitors each year, who spend around £600 million – the third largest amount of any London borough. Total tourism spending in London is approximately £15bn per annum. Tourism is a growth industry representing 10% of London’s GDP.