Best of destination Britain on show as VisitBritain hosts trade mission to India
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British travel trade and industry suppliers are set to show why Britain is the must-go-now destination to buyers from across India as VisitBritain hosts it first trade mission to the country in more than three years.
Destination Britain India, taking place from 19 to 21 November in Delhi, will see dozens of British industry suppliers from across the nations and regions meet with 75 top buyers from India to do business.
The three-day trade event will see thousands of pre-scheduled one-to-one business meetings. The suppliers set to attend include hotels, retailers, visitor attractions, tour operators, transport providers and local destinations from across Britain.
VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates said:
“We are delighted to again be hosting this flagship trade event to India, a timely and valuable opportunity for British tourism suppliers and destinations to get their products in front of top buyers, driving bookings to Britain.
“India is one of our most important inbound visitor markets, also boasting strong airline connectivity including to regional destinations and we know there is pent up demand for travel. Working with the travel trade in India is crucial to ensuring they are ready to sell Britain, as well as broadening travel itineraries to encourage visitors to explore further and stay longer.”
Delegates will also have the opportunity to meet with the wider Indian trade including at networking receptions as well as attend product seminars including from West Midlands Growth Company, Marketing Manchester and Visit Cumbria, to hear about the latest market developments and trends. VisitBritain will also be showcasing its GREAT Britain ‘See Things Differently’ campaign promoting the fresh and exciting experiences on offer, inspiring visitors to explore more of Britain, to travel across the seasons and to come now.
Visitors from India spent a record £764 million in the UK in 2022, exceeding 2019 levels by 2%. This growth has continued in to 2023. India is forecast to be a £1 billion inbound visitor market by 2024, making it one of the UK’s fastest growing major tourism markets.
Airline seat capacity from India to the UK is also showing strong recovery and growth. Looking at September 2023, seat capacity was up 53% compared to the same month in 2019.
As well as its Destination Britain India trade mission, VisitBritain continues to work closely with industry and partners in market to promote Britain’s outstanding tourism offer and experiences that visitors can only have here.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- The latest full year official statistics for inbound tourism from India to the UK are for 2022. This showed that there were 516,000 visits from India to the UK. Visits from India are forecast to recover to 2019 levels in 2025.
- The latest available statistics are for January to June 2023. These show that visitors from India spent a record £349 million from January to June 2023, up 4% compared to 2019.
