TORONTO — VisitBritain will host 120+ international travel trade on educational visits across the UK as part of its flagship ‘Showcase Britain’ event, kicking off later this week.
VisitBritain will also launch its global screen tourism campaign ‘Starring GREAT Britain’, and many of the educational visits include film-and-TV inspired experiences.
‘Set-jetting’ is big business for Britain. At a TIFF event last fall, Cathy Stapells, Director, Canada for VisitBritain told attendees that seven out of 10 visitors have visited a film or TV location in the UK, and nine in 10 potential visitors are interested in something similar, according to surveys.
Overall inbound tourism is one of the UK’s most valuable service exports, worth an estimated £32.5 billion to the economy in 2024 in visitor spending, showing an annual growth of 5%.
POST-TOUR TO OXFORDSHIRE
As part of this week’s ‘Showcase Britain’, travel trade from across 17 international markets – including Canada – will travel to destinations across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
All international markets will visit London, with the Canadian buyers also travelling to Oxfordshire.
“Thanks to our stunning scenery, heritage and world-class screen industries, many of the unforgettable moments that have taken our breath away at the cinema were filmed in the UK,” said Tourism Minister Sir Chris Bryant.
“We want more visitors from home and abroad to immerse themselves in British destinations made famous thanks to film and TV, and events like this will help drive growth in our £74 billion tourism industry. Through our Plan for Change we want to welcome 50 million international visitors a year by 2030, while creating opportunity in local communities and setting the scene for the UK’s thriving visitor economy for years to come,” he said.
VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates added: “With the upcoming launch of our ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign, now is the perfect time to roll out the red carpet and welcome international buyers to Britain. Building product and destination knowledge broadens travel itineraries so visitors explore more, including through our regional gateways, driving visitor spending into local economies.”
At ‘Showcase Britain’, delegates will hear updates from VisitBritain’s trade teams on the latest market research and insights, with product presentations also from VisitEngland, London & Partners, VisitScotland and Visit Wales.
Buyers will also attend the ‘Britain & Ireland Marketplace’ (BIM) at the InterContinental London – The O2 before embarking on their post-tours.
