COUNCIL bosses are set to splash out more than £40,000 for a Sky TV advert in a bid to bring more tourists to the town. 

Filming will begin in spring and the advert will be aired in the summer.

It will focus on tourists who would like to stay in the area for more than one day. 

The advertisement - which will cost £10,000 to make and £30,871 in airtime - will point to the beauty of 'Constable country' in the Dedham Vale, as well as the town's 2,000 years of history. 

It will also touch on other attractions such as Colchester Zoo, Firstsite, Colchester Castle, as well as restaurants, shops and places to stay.

The ad follows a series of video shorts created by Visit Colchester for social media, posted last year to attract families, group travel and other groups to the area.

Tim Young, Colchester councillor responsible for business and culture, said: “Colchester has so much to offer tourists.

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"A visitor to the town could happily spend days wandering the winding streets, exploring the Castle and Roman ruins and being entertained by all kinds of attractions around our beautiful borough.

“Of course, no visit to Colchester would be complete without heading over to Mersea Island and sampling the famous and delicious Colchester Oysters.

"Our Summer 2018 ad will be a celebration of all the things that make Colchester a top choice for holidaymakers in the UK.”

To find out more about attractions across the borough, go to visitcolchester.com.