TORONTO — Showcase Britain 2024, VisitBritain’s flagship trade event, gets underway this week.
This year’s event will see 120+ international travel buyers from 18 markets meeting with strategic partners and suppliers from all over Britain.
The educational visits, kicking off Jan. 27, are a mix of three-to-five-day itineraries to destinations across England, Wales and Scotland, showcasing to buyers and travel media the latest tourism products across Britain.
Canadian buyers will be joined by buyers from 18 international markets including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Germany, the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries, India, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Nordic countries, South Korea Switzerland and the U.S.
As part of their educational for Showcase, the Canadian buyers will be exploring Scotland.
“We are delighted to be showcasing Britain’s outstanding destinations, tourism products and experiences to international buyers and travel press, highlighting the very best of our nations and regions to broaden travel itineraries and drive bookings. From the beauty of our coast and countryside, the vibrancy of our cities and cultural attractions to our world-class dining and accommodation, buyers will experience first-hand the quality of our tourism offer alongside the warmest of British welcomes. I know that the international buyers and media will return home in no doubt about the outstanding quality of tourism products and experiences available right across Britain,” said VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates.
VisitBritain’s Executive Vice President, The Americas, Australia & New Zealand, Paul Gauger, added: “Working closely with travel trade in Canada is crucial to selling travel to Britain. This event is a great opportunity to bring together many of our industry partners to strengthen connections and share first-hand experience of the
outstanding and varied tourism products on offer. We want to showcase a modern and dynamic Britain inspiring our travel trade partners and our visitors to ‘See Things Differently’.”
VisitBritain’s in-country teams have worked in partnership with destination management organizations and destination management companies across England, Scotland and Wales to develop tailored itineraries for each inbound market.
The hosted visits are part of the national tourism agency’s ‘Showcase Britain’ trade mission, which gets underway with a networking event for international buyers and travel media hosted in the iconic Painted Hall at The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London, on Jan. 25.
The buyers and travel media will be officially welcomed by Yates and VisitBritain Chairman Nick de Bois CBE, with updates from the agency’s trade teams, as well as from VisitEngland, London & Partners, VisitScotland and Visit Wales on the latest products, experiences, hospitality and accommodation.
VisitBritain is also set to highlight its international campaigns for 2024. Its GREAT Britain marketing campaigns will be running in Australia, France, Germany, the GCC and the U.S. Its global campaigns in 2024 are also harnessing the power of screen tourism.
Before heading off on their educational tours, the buyers will also attend the ‘Britain & Ireland Marketplace’ (BIM) trade event on Jan. 26, held at the Intercontinental London – The O2, with a day of business appointments and networking with tourism suppliers and destinations across Britain.
VisitBritain’s latest inbound tourism forecast predicts 39.5 million inbound visits to the UK in 2024, up 5% on the 37.8 million that were expected in 2023 although still 3% shy of 2019’s record levels.
VisitBritain’s forecast for overseas visitor spending this year is £34.1 billion, up 7% on the spending predicted in 2023 and up 20% on 2019, although 96% of 2019 levels when adjusted for inflation.
