A proposed new Universal Studios theme park would lie along a rail route linking Oxford to Cambridge as ministers believe it could "dramatically" change UK tourism.

Sir Chris Bryant, the creative industries minister, has outlined plans to move tourism away from London to other parts of the UK. 

As part of this, the minister has identified a planned Universal Studios theme park which would lie along the East West Rail route, a proposed Oxford to Cambridge railway which the Government has backed as part of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ October Budget.

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Sir Chris said the railway could unlock “tens of thousands of new homes and jobs”, which in turn could bolster the region’s tourism sector.

The theme park would on this route for Oxford passengers and tourists with a planned 476-acre resort south of Bedford.

Speaking in Westminster Hall, Sir Chris declined to “enter into the specifics” of ongoing discussions about the site, adding: “That would be unhelpful to everybody.

“But I am very hopeful that we will be able to get to the very significant and dramatic change that this would make not only to visitor numbers in Bedfordshire but for the whole of the United Kingdom.”

The minister continued: “Of course, we should be ambitious for the whole of the United Kingdom when it comes to our tourism strategy but it would be counterproductive if every single person who came from overseas to this country – and we’ve still not got up to the numbers that we had reached before Covid – it would be counterproductive if every single person who came to the United Kingdom decided that they were only going to visit London, and didn’t even get to Bedfordshire.”

Universal has five entertainment and resort complexes around the world – Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood in the USA, Universal Studios Japan (Osaka), Universal Beijing Resort in China and Universal Studios Singapore.

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