Promoting Britain in Korea, GCC and North America to drive inbound travel and visitor spend

31 May 2022

Last week our CEO and the BTA Chair were both overseas putting our outstanding tourism offer and the year of landmark events in the spotlight to drive inbound travel and spend to Britain.

Patricia Yates with the DCMS delegation and Korean travel trade members in KoreaOur CEO, Patricia Yates, joined MPs from the DCMS Select Committee who visited Korea last month to gather evidence as part of the Committee’s ‘Promoting Britain Abroad’ inquiry. Patricia and Misha Kim, VisitBritain’s in-country manager, met with executives from Korean travel trade and hosted a round table at the British Embassy to discuss how to encourage South Koreans to explore our outstanding tourism offer beyond London. 

Dame Judith Macgregor with Gavin LandryBTA Chair Dame Judith Macgregor visited the US and Canada to meet with key airline and travel trade partners to build relationships, highlight the importance of route connectivity and showcase Britain's fantastic tourism products. She met with Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Travel Leaders Network, US & Canada Tourism Advisory Councils and key FCDO partners. She also welcomed the Queen's Baton Relay to Canada ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games at a Showcase Event in partnership with the West Midlands Growth Company with key Canadian tour operators, airlines, travel agents and media.

VisitBritain at the Arabian Travel Market

Working in collaboration with UKinbound we attended the GCC’s premier international travel trade event, Arabian Travel Market (ATM) from 9-12 May.

We connected with key airline, commercial and trade partners to build buyer and supplier relationships, share insights and plans for the future of international travel and tourism.

Our Director for APMEA, China and North Asia, Tricia Warwick, took part in a Sports Tourism seminar, as the region prepares to kick-off the FIFA World Cup in Qatar this November.

From 1 June, electronic visa waivers for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain will be in effect.