Government plans to inject extra £27m for inbound tourism marketing
The Government plans to inject a further £27m of funding to help promote Britain in key overseas markets, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced today.
The extra funding comes as part of a concerted effort to drive greater visitor numbers to the country over the next four years.
VisitBritain said the money would allow it to capitalise on the international attention the UK would receive during 2012 - the year of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The money will be in addition to the existing £100m match-funded marketing campaign being run by VisitBritain. As a result, the aim is to attract an extra 4.6 million visitors, spending an additional £2.3b across the country in the next four years.
VisitBritain chief executive Sandie Dawe (pictured) said: "This additional funding means we will be able to run the largest tourism marketing campaign in our history. We will be taking the GREAT brand into some of the most dynamic, fastest-growing and economically important cities across the world to encourage a greater number of people to come and experience the very best of what Britain has to offer.
"New Yorkers will see our ads in their papers and on the subway as they travel to work, meaning 72% of our target audience there will have a myriad of opportunities to see our campaign. In India and Paris we will also be on cinemas screens, while in China we will reach over 15 million potential visitors through a combination of magazines, subway and station ads, as well as using various online platforms.
"Alongside the inspirational images that will inspire the world to put Britain on its destination wish list, tactical advertising with our industry partners will offer great deals to encourage people to visit now. This GREAT campaign aims to reinvigorate our appeal in mature markets such as the USA, where we have seen decline in recent years, and it will help raise our profile in the vital emerging markets, securing growth for the future.
"Our targets are ambitious, but inbound tourism is already Britain's third-largest earner of foreign exchange and we know more can be done."
Penrose: Government ‘changing gear' to implement Tourism Strategy >>
By Neil Gerrard
E-mail your comments to Neil Gerrard here.
Catererandhotelkeeper.com jobs
Looking for a new job? Find your next job here with Catererandhotelkeeper.com jobs
