Issue 73 Spring 2018 £2.75
Global campaign to boost inbound tourism launched
By Christina Eccles
NATIONAL tourism agency VisitBritain has launched a new global campaign for 2018 to boost inbound tourism to Britain. The ‘I Travel For…’ campaign uses short films and storytelling to shine the spotlight on unexpected experiences and less-explored destinations in Britain, alongside its globally renowned and iconic landmarks and attractions. The campaign aligns the passions that motivate people to travel with experiences that can only be had in Britain, inspiring overseas visitors to book a trip right now. VisitBritain chief executive Sally Balcombe said: “Tourism is one of the UK’s most valuable export industries, driving economic growth and creating jobs right across Britain. “It is also a fiercely competitive global industry and we are seizing the opportunity to build on the strong growth we have seen, showcasing that Britain is bursting with fun activities, adventure and wonderfully unexpected experiences to come and discover all year round.” The campaign has been developed based on VisitBritain’s global research into people’s motivations, passions and inspiration for travel including adventure, fun, relaxation,
discovery, culture, food and drink and the unexpected. The campaign uses these motivators to create tailored content for target audiences, which is then shared on Facebook and Instagram globally. As part of the global campaign, VisitBritain is also working with commercial partners, including BA and Expedia, across its key inbound visitor markets to convert the inspiration to visit Britain into bookings. Overseas visits to the UK are forecast to break through the 40m mark for the first time in 2018, reaching 41.7m, up 4.4 per cent on 2017. Spending by overseas visitors to the UK is forecast to reach £26.9b in 2018, up 6.8 per cent on 2017. Sally added: “By shining a spotlight and telling the stories of Britain’s exciting and contemporary culture, innovations in food and drink, the beauty of our countryside and vibrancy of our cities, we want to inspire even more international visitors to book a trip right now.” VisitBritain’s I Travel For... campaign is part of the Government’s GREAT Britain campaign, which promotes the UK internationally as a place to visit, study, invest and do business.
Visits to regions up four per cent
Organisers of Keswick Mountain Festival have revealed two big name acts who will headline this year’s live music programme. Former Spice Girl Melanie C (pictured) and founding member of Joy Division and New Order Peter Hook, with his band The Light, will take to the stage during this year’s festival, to entertain thousands with the spectacular backdrop of Derwentwater and the Lake District fells. The festival will run from June 8-10 and will also include sporting events, outdoor adventures, high profile speakers, taster activities, exhibitor stands and camping for all of the family.
MORE international tourists are visiting the English regions than ever before, according to figures, which reveal in the first nine months of 2017 there were a record 12.7m visits to English regions outside London, up four per cent compared to the same period in 2016. Research released by VisitBritain showed: n International visitors spent £6.1b across England’s regions during this period. n There were 909,000 overseas visits to Wales from January to September last year, up 6 per cent compared to the same time in 2016. n In Scotland, overseas visits increased 14 per cent to 2.6m in the first nine months of 2017 compared to the same time in 2016. n Of the English regions, the North West and the West Midlands had the largest percentage growth in overseas visits. VisitBritain director Patricia Yates said: “Boosting inbound tourism throughout Britain is at the heart of our work, so it is very encouraging to see the growth across our nations and regions.”