With 10 years of experience, we are seen as the number one tourism organisation for the promotion of film tourism. By collaborating with major studios like Sony Pictures, Universal and Warner Brothers, we have the opportunity to profile the destination alongside the release of a major movie. This can either be a movie which profiles British locations (e.g. Pride and Prejudice), or a movie that is quintessentially British but not really shot on location in the UK (e.g. James Bond).
Our research indicates that 40% of potential visitors would be “very likely” to visit places from films or TV (source: Nation Brands Index 2007), which highlights the importance of film tourism to our overall marketing strategy.
In December 2009 we launched a free British Film Location App. The app allows iPhone and iPod touch users to discover and photograph the most iconic British film locations in cinematic history. It also shows the most famous film scenes on Google maps and allows users to search by film title. Users can plan an entire British film tour from the app, whether they’re looking for Harry Potter's Hogwarts or one of the Braveheart battlefields. Each film location is accompanied by a detailed synopsis and description of how to find it.
The Great British Film Location App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at the itunes app store.
Recent and forthcoming promotions include:
We partnered with Universal Pictures and Experience Nottinghamshire to launch a global promotion around the film release of “Robin Hood”. A new exhibition featuring film props has launched at Nottingham Castle and Sherwood Forest. The campaign also comprises a global competition in 35 countries to meet the Sheriff of Nottingham, limited edition Oyster card wallets and a dedicated website.
Ridley Scott, the film’s director, said: “The only way we could achieve such a successful production was with the authenticity of the locations Britain and the East Midlands had to offer.”
VisitBritain has recently been quoted as the world leader in delivering film tourism promotions. With the release of Robin Hood, VisitBritain shows once again why this is the case.
The global film release of James Bond - Quantum of Solace from Sony Pictures in November 2008 offered a unique opportunity for us to align the destination brand with the attributes and Britishness of a new James Bond, the longest running and most successful franchise in motion picture history. ‘Live the Bond Lifestyle’ marketing campaign was promoted in 35 countries around the world. Our promotional campaign offered added value to Sony Pictures and central to this was the development of an exclusive sweepstakes competition for media partner delivery around the theatrical release. The partnership resulted in £6.7 million worth of exposure for the Britain brand and partners and £11.7 million worth of PR coverage.
“Working with VisitBritain on the James Bond campaign was perfect timing for us, we were able to get the new name and branding of the hotel out across the world very quickly. We had a significant increase in visits to the website during the promotional period and received feedback from our international guests that they had seen our involvement with the campaign, which led to them visiting our website and booking. We are delighted to have been part of a multi-million pound campaign of this scale”.
Vicki Richards – Sales and Marketing Director at Grosvenor House, A JW Marriott Hotel
View our James Bond promotional microsite (www.visitbritain.com/jamesbond).
In December 2009 we joined forces with Warner Bros. Pictures to invite tourists to discover Sherlock Holmes’ Britain – Past and Present – with a new campaign and online movie map. The campaign, showcasing locations with links to Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
As part of the partnership, we worked with the film’s media and promotional partners globally to award Sherlock Holmes-themed trips to Britain.
View our Sherlock Holmes microsite.