VisitBritain is hosting more than 70 international buyers – including delegates from Canada – on educational trips across England, Scotland and Wales this week as it seeks to boost growth in its inbound visitor economy, worth an estimated £34.6 billion in 2025.
The Canadian group, representing one of 11 of international markets, is visiting England’s northeast, including Newcastle, Durham and Yorkshire after having kicked off the week at the annual Britain & Ireland Marketplace, held Jan. 30 at the InterContinental London – The O2.
The annual event, organized by European Tour Operators Association (ETOA), brings together national and regional destinations and products across the UK and Ireland to promote the best of British and Irish tourism through one-to-one business appointments and networking with international buyers.
The subsequent FAM program is designed to introduce Britain’s tourism highlights, from Bath to Birmingham, Dorset to Durham and the Scottish Borders to South Wales, by offering first-hand, in-person experiences of some of the newest or most absorbing attractions, sights and tours.
VisitBritain anticipates many of the products and destinations experienced by participants will be promoted for the first time or continue to be sold or added to the itineraries of future overseas visitors.
This year, the educational visits will feature film and television experiences illustrating VisitBritain’s continuing global campaign ‘Starring GREAT Britain,’ which is estimated to have generated £217 million in additional spending by international visitors from its launch in January 2025 to last June.
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