THE Bodleian Library in Oxford from ‘Harry Potter’, The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich from ‘Skyfall’ or the striking blue door from ‘Notting Hill’ – a few examples of famous landmarks that have been promoted by movies.
UK’s national tourism agency, VisitBritain, has tapped this potential to attract more visitors from the Gulf and have rightfully called the initiative ‘movie tourism’.
The agency has recently launched a GCC-wide ‘Film is GREAT’ campaign to promote the attractions and destinations around the UK that have been made famous by well-known movies.
The campaign includes a month-long competition on their Facebook page, which started on December 12, and includes prizes like a visit to the Warner Brothers Studio, the James Bond Private VIP Tour that will take the winner on a journey of high speed boat rides, real spy sites and much more.
Sandie Dawe, CEO of VisitBritain, says: “Tourism is a dynamic sector. The link between film and tourism is a very powerful one and something we have been working on for over 15 years, using films like Braveheart, Notting Hill, Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes and James Bond to promote destinations all over Britain. Many of our potential visitors want to visit places they have seen featured in films or TV.”
The agency forecasts that the tourism economy would be worth around £127 billion ($207 billion) by the end of this year equivalent to nine per cent of the UK’s GDP. In 2012, 530,000 visitors from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states went to Britain and injected an estimated $2 billion into the UK economy last year.
Recent statistics have also indicated that visitors from the GCC are the UK’s biggest spenders, splurging an average of Dh2,440 ($664) per head when they travel to Britain.
Through this campaign, VisitBritain wants to target visitors below 30 years of age from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and UAE and promote their culture, heritage, sightseeing and some lesser-known countryside. Apart from shopping, Premier League Football also lures many visitors.
Emirati filmmaker Ali Mostafa who has helped prepare the itinerary for the competition is the goodwill brand ambassador of VisitBritain. He said: “I studied at London Film School and Britain is like home to me. It’s a great place to learn the art of movie making. There is so much to explore and whether it’s the vibrant city or the rolling countryside, it’s difficult not to fall in love with Britain’s unique charm. I hope that the trip I helped plan will take the winner on an exciting journey of discovery. I have never filmed a movie in the UK but I dream to someday direct a James Bond film in Pinewood Studios!”
With the UK government announcing an electronic visa waiver scheme to passport holders of the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman from this year, VisitBritain is hoping to achieve astounding figures in the near future.
By Roma Arora