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Issue 31 November/December 2009 £2.75
Tourism barriers ‘must be removed’
Britain: THE destination of 2010? By Christina Eccles THE current exchange rate combined with successful marketing campaigns could help to position Britain as the destination for a great value holiday in 2010, according to an expert. VisitBritain’s director of strategy and communications Patricia Yates said one of the most important messages the agency can use to promote the UK – both to domestic and overseas visitors – is that the country provides excellent value for money regardless of budget. She told Destination UK now is a good time to push this message to encourage visitors here through the winter and into 2010. VisitBritain has already had success forging partnerships with major airlines to promote the UK to overseas visitors – something which Patricia said is set to continue next year. And she also hopes that in the short term, the strength of other currencies against the pound will make London and other UK cities a popular choice for people looking for places to do their Christmas shopping or spend money in the January sales.
She said: “Britain is good value and we are capitalising on that. We want to highlight the rise in quality and the fact there is good value available at every price point. “We have worked very hard with carriers such as Virgin, BA and EasyJet and we are wanting to promote that it is a good time for people to book now.” Patricia also revealed VisitBritain is already looking at strategies for 2010 and how the message that the UK offers great value for money can be built on. She added: “For the end of the year, we are predicting that visits to Britain will be up to five per cent down and next year is likely to be another tough year. “We are formulating our business plans now and looking again at the value message to make sure that story keeps running. Some international markets are feeling more confident than others and there are some optimistic signs but still a lot of work to do. “If the exchange rate is still down, this gives us a competitive advantage to position Britain as a great value destination.”
The world-famous Blackpool Tower Ballroom will provide the backdrop for an episode of hit BBC show Strictly Come Dancing. The show’s remaining couples, judges and hosts Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly (pictured) will return to the town to film an episode. Blackpool Council's Coun Maxine Callow said: “Blackpool is absolutely thrilled to be hosting Strictly Come Dancing again and is very grateful to the BBC for bringing this fantastic spectacle back to the home of ballroom dancing.”
THE government needs to remove the barriers it has imposed on tourism in order to help the industry through challenging times, UKinbound has warned. VisitBritain has claimed that inbound tourism could continue to decline and that trips to Britain could fall by as much as five per cent in 2009. But according to UKinbound, the government’s own initiatives, such as air passenger duty and high visa costs, are partly to blame as they deter overseas residents travelling to Britain. Chief executive Mary Rance said: “There is a danger that inbound travel to the UK could continue to fall. “Consumers globally are looking for value. People don’t mind spending money on quality products, but they do not want to pay higher taxes. “Government must remove the barriers of high taxes to ensure the UK tourism industry can remain internationally competitive in terms of price and accessibility, and to enable business to compete effectively in the international market.”