VisitBritain gears up to host its ‘Destination Britain Americas’ trade mission to grow inbound tourism and drive economic growth with British tourism suppliers set to show top buyers from across the USA, Canada and Brazil why Britain is the destination to visit now.
Taking place from 10 to 14 September in Riviera Maya, Mexico, the 3-day trade event sees 53 British tourism industry suppliers meet with 47 top buyers to drive business to Britain.
International buyers will have the opportunity to learn about Britain’s destinations, and world class experiences from Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, the Cotswolds, County Durham, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxfordshire, the Peak District and the West Midlands alongside Scotland and Wales. One-to-one meetings, networking events and seminars will build destination knowledge to broaden travel itineraries and drive visitor spending into regional economies.
VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates, who is leading the trade mission, said:
“This major trade mission brings our incredibly important Brazil, Canada and USA markets together with British suppliers to do business and drive economic growth. We are shining the spotlight on the fantastic products and experiences on offer across Britain, making sure those are sold internationally, boosting Britain’s economy.
“Building product and destination knowledge broadens travel itineraries, so visitors can explore more of Britain spreading the economic benefits of visitor spending across our nations and regions and supporting local jobs and businesses.
“The size of our delegation shows the enthusiasm from British tourism suppliers to do business in these markets and to hear first-hand from buyers on the motivations and trends driving travel to Britain. We are looking forward to showcasing our warm welcome alongside all the great reasons to book a trip to Britain right now.”
British suppliers joining the trade mission include hotels, visitor attractions, transport providers, retailers, tour and sightseeing operators spanning the length-and-breadth of the nations and regions.
The trade mission comes as VisitBritain continues to roll out its international ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign. Launched earlier this year, the campaign is using the powerful draw of film and tv locations and places seen-on-screen to inspire visitors to discover more of Britain. VisitBritain’s latest research shows that among those visitors considering a trip to the UK, nine out of ten surveyed would be interested in visiting a film or tv location.
Destination Britain Americas is a cornerstone of VisitBritain’s programme of international sales missions bringing buyers from around the world together with British tourism businesses.
Inbound tourism is one of the UK’s most valuable service exports and a major part of British trade, worth an estimated £34.9 billion to the economy in 2025 in visitor spending.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- For destination inspiration for travel to Britain please visit: www.visitbritain.com
- For destination assets for Britain please visit: assets.visitbritain.org
- For further information on VisitBritain’s sales mission programme, please visit: https://www.visitbritain.org/news-and-media/industry-news-and-press-releases/sales-mission-programme-202526
- VisitBritain’s latest forecast estimates:
- 5.5 million visits from the USA to the UK this year with American visitors forecast to spend £7.2 billion on their trips.
- 983,000 visits from Canada to the UK this year with Canadian visitors forecast to spend £942 million on their trips.
- 318,000 visits from Brazil to the UK this year with Brazilian visitors forecast to spend £343 million on their trips.
