VISITBritain has appointed internationally acclaimed Emirati film director Ali Mostafa as its UAE goodwill ambassador to help raise awareness of Britain as a world-class and uniquely varied tourism destination.
Mostafa, who directed City of Life, the UAE’s first ever acclaimed feature film, joins a stellar cast of prominent personalities including Dame Judi Dench, Dev Patel and Jamie Oliver, who are sharing their personal views on Britain via the video-led ‘Great Britain You’re Invited’ campaign.
“Having spent considerable time in the UK, I have a close affinity to the country’s traditions and character not least because my experiences in London were a major catalyst for me to become a film director,” said Mostafa. “If provided with the opportunity, everyone should embrace Britain as a place of genuine adventure and discovery that stretches well beyond its traditional, beloved hotspots and that can please every conceivable taste.”
As a part of his new role, Mostafa has directed and produced a short film sharing his personal views on Britain, including compelling perspectives on education and creative arts.
Mostafa’s appointment comes at a time when a range of major celebrations are on the agenda across Britain, including Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubliee, and the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.
VisitBritain also goes viral with a major advertising programme by VisitBritain set to capture the imagination of prospective tourists worldwide. The £25 million ($39.5 million) GREAT campaign will hit 14 major cities in nine key inbound tourism markets, and reach an estimated audience of 90 million.
Running until March, the image-boosting initiative complements a £100 million ($158 million) match-funded tactical campaign by VisitBritain commercial partners and aims to attract 4.6 million additional visitors to the UK over the next four years, stimulating an additional £2.3 billion ($3.6 billion) in international spend. The focus of the campaign is to show the world what makes the UK such a GREAT place to visit at a time when high-profile events such as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, Cultural Olympiad, Torch Relay and the London 2012 Games are taking place.
Sandie Dawe, VisitBritain CEO added: “This campaign will allow us to promote Britain in 14 of the key global economic powerhouse cities where our adverts will be seen by over two-thirds of our target audience. That means nearly 90 million people will be focusing on all that is GREAT about coming here for their next holiday.”
The international reach of the campaign will be strengthened by the announcement of a global partnership with Yahoo!, a collaboration that will guarantee over five million views of VisitBritain content on the Yahoo! network and help drive 3.5 million click-throughs to VisitBritain’s own online platforms.