VISITBRITAIN QUICK OFF THE BLOCKS WITH GLOBAL MARKETING PUSH

Long before the lighting of the Olympic flame, VisitBritain launched a four-year £125m marketing campaign which aimed to influence an extra 4.6 million people to choose Britain for their next holiday. Such an influx would help inject an additional £2.3 billion to the UK economy by the end of 2015.

To capitalise on the increased global interest in Britain, a major marketing push (£13.5m) has gone live with airlines, hotel companies and tour operators offering fantastic deals to ensure that, having watched the best of Britain on their screens, overseas travellers decide to experience the real thing for themselves.

New research released by the national tourism agency has shown that in cities with GREAT activity, 75% of recent travellers would now consider a holiday in Britain⁽¹⁾.The image campaign - which has targeted 14 major cities in nine countries that include Brazil, USA, Germany, India and Australia – has reached more than 90 million people so far.

The latest phase of the marketing campaign includes a seven month run of print advertising in National Geographic, advertorials in Time Out and on Yahoo!. A key component will involve the release of a new TV ad, ‘Memories are GREAT’, which includes stunning imagery from the Olympic Opening Ceremony, positioned on leading consumer websites across the world.

In partnership with British Airways, £5m will be invested in the US, India, China, Japan and the Middle East, encouraging people to come to Britain for their Christmas shopping and the January sales - tied to a special British Airways ticket price.

To help capture the youth market VisitBritain has partnered with STA Travel and is working within their retail outlets and University Campuses to promote Britain for music, culture and shopping. A digital campaign will also be rolled out with Expedia in the key markets of France, Germany and Italy. A shopping campaign with Virgin Australia is also underway, with a mixture of digital, radio, print and trade advertising.

Laurence Bresh, Director of Marketing at VisitBritain said: “The main event may be over, but the hard work begins now.

“Britain’s image and reputation around the world is riding high, this next stage of our GREAT campaign aims to convert worldwide interest into increased bookings. We’ve captured the world’s imagination on TV screens over the last few weeks, and now is the time to inspire them to come to Britain."