The British Tourist Authority (BTA) has announced a two-year partnership deal with Football Association Premier League and Barclaycard, designed to promote Britain as a top tourist destination and boost visitor numbers.
The new partnership offers BTA a unique opportunity to deliver key tourism messages, through a wide range of promotional and marketing opportunities. This includes overseas television broadcasts of FA Barclaycard Premiership matches to a potential global audience of 160 million per week in over 142 countries, which will be used to draw potential visitors to BTA's website www.visitbritain.com. UK's Secretary of State for Department of Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa Jowell, praised the partnership for its innovation and uniqueness. "Britain is the home of football and a great tourism destination. So, for tourism and sport two of the largest and most successful industries in Britain today - to come together makes for a powerful alliance," said Jowell. BTA deputy chief executive Sue Garland said that the initiative would use the international profile and appeal of Premier League football to raise awareness of Britain on a worldwide scale.