Today’s launch of VisitBritain’s annual review for 2008/09 highlights the national tourism agency’s achievements in inspiring overseas visitors to explore Britain. Its publication comes as the organisation unveils its strategy to support the continued prosperity of the tourism industry.
Moving forward, the focus of the organisation will be to:
• Inspire travellers from overseas to visit and explore Britain
• Deliver a global network to support tourism promotion overseas
• Champion tourism and engage industry and Government in support of its growth
• Maximise the tourism legacy benefits of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
And so support the growth of the visitor economy and maximise the impact of public investment.
“Despite a challenging economic climate, there was plenty to be positive about last year,” says chief executive Sandie Dawe. “VisitBritain tapped into great exchange rates with tactical ‘value’ campaigns that led to over 160,000 additional bookings for travel to Britain this year, over £1 billion of media coverage and more than 26 million visits to visitbritain.com. Our marketing partnership with the Premier League was worth £11.7 million of in-kind marketing support and generated more than 230,000 website visits. And a cutting-edge online partnership with Google Street View increased our exposure to over 20 million internet users.”
VisitBritain’s achievements in inspiring visitors and building the value of the visitor economy included:
• Welcoming Prime Minister Gordon Brown MP to address the first National Tourism Summit
• Establishing the Tourism Advisory Council, chaired by Tourism Minister Barbara Follett MP to bring together Whitehall departments and high-level executives from a range of travel and tourism organisations
• Ensuring the National Tourism Open Platform’s (formerly EnglandNet) value in putting British events, accommodation and attractions in front of ever more consumers through third-party online partnerships
• Partnerships with Ben Sherman and Sony Pictures’ James Bond to turn people’s passion for British brands into a passion for stylish breaks in Britain
• The debut of the Best of Britain and Ireland event, which welcomed almost 12,000 visitors to see just what a British holiday can offer
Sandie Dawe concludes: “VisitBritain continues to add value for the public and private stakeholders that invest in our work. Working in partnership with the industry and the nations and regions, we can change the way potential tourists view the UK as a destination, inspire them to visit and help them plan their trip.”
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