FOLLOWING the success of hosting the world’s largest and most watched sporting extravaganza, a new multi million pound joint marketing push from British Airways and VisitBritain has been launched that aims to boost inbound visitors from a number of key markets vital to the UK economy.
‘The Big British Invite’ campaign features ‘real’ British people inviting the world to visit Britain to enjoy their favourite places and experiences.
Carol Maddison, manager UAE for VisitBritain said, “Britain launched a Government Tourism Policy in March 2011 that set out to attract four million additional visitors by 2015, increase domestic tourism, and make Britain’s tourism industry more competitive.”
From the Middle East; Saudi, Qatar and the UAE are three markets that have shown a phenomenal increase in visitor numbers between 2006 and 2011 at 60 per cent, 59 per cent and 36 per cent respectively, with Qatar and Kuwait topping the spend-per-night list beating all other countries.
“We are constantly working on driving visitors to explore the wealth of cities and destinations beyond London that gets 50 per cent of all overseas visits.
“In 2013, Britain will be celebrating the year of Natural Scotland, highlighting the natural beauty of the Scottish cities like Edinburgh , and hosting the Rugby League World Cup England and Wales 2013 showcasing the destinations that will be hosting the venues from Manchester to Cardiff to Hull and Bristol naming a few,” added Maddison.
The global marketplace is getting tougher, she added.
“Other countries have recognised the potential of tourism for delivering growth and are moving fast, addressing policy issues as well as investing in marketing campaigns.
“To curb this trend, VisitBritain is investing in both mature and emerging markets. It’s working on defending Britain’s market position by establishing and maintaining market position in emerging markets including Brazil, India and China,” concluded Maddison.