Tower of London, check! Hot air ballooning in Bristol or climbing the O2 in London, not so much. With this in mind, the UK’s national tourism agency VisitBritain has launched a new multi-million-pound global campaign to highlight UK experiences beyond its well-known icons, introducing new experiences (or perhaps simply lesser-known ones) to appeal to an expected surge of post-pandemic visitors.
Dubbed ‘Welcome to Another Side of Britain,’ the £10 ($17) -million international GREAT Britain marketing campaign comes during a year of milestone events in the UK, such as the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and the Commonwealth Games, and puts the spotlight on Britain’s cities, hit hard by the absence of international visitors, as well as on messages of welcome and reassurance.
“You already know all about our rich history and culture and we love this – but there’s also another side to Britain that you might not know. A side that’s bursting with energy and promises you the different and the undiscovered,” says VisitBritain.
“Discover hidden treasures around the corner from our iconic landmarks,” it urges. “Britain’s cities are packed with stories and welcoming characters that bring these places to life. Our urban spaces are full of wild places and exhilarating ways to enjoy them to make the most of time spent outdoors with a wide range of sustainable experiences. Britain’s cities have a diverse and exciting offering of foodie experiences including eateries that grow and source all the produce locally, quirky Michelin starred fine dining, secret supper clubs, buzzing bars, chef and distiller masterclasses and chef tables.”
Cities featured in the campaign are Bath, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Glasgow, Edinburgh, London, Liverpool, Oxford, Manchester and York.
A sample of experiences highlighted include:
• Sailing in a hot tub down the Thames in London
• Shopping the world’s oldest record store in Cardiff
• Taking flight at the International Balloon Fiesta in Bristol
• Staying at carbon neutral hotel, Doghouse Manchester, where there’s a draft beer tap in your room.
• Learning to climb at Alien Rock, inside a beautiful old, vaulted church in Edinburgh
• Testing your mental and physical abilities at Bear Grylls Adventure in Birmingham
The campaign’s city-focused content has been tailored using VisitBritain’s research into its target audiences’ interests and motivations for travel right now – including ‘city foodies’, ‘city icons with a modern twist,’ and ‘outdoors in the city’ – alongside ‘travelling responsibly,’ ‘travelling to reconnect,’ and ‘freedom to explore.’
Activity is underway across all VisitBritain’s international markets using the extensive reach of its global and in-country digital channels, both business and consumer and working with the travel trade in market. Content will also drive online traffic to its website with ideas and links to city activities, city visitor attractions and experiences highlighting ‘another side of Britain’ using #lovegreatbritain.
VisitBritain is also encouraging local tourism businesses, visitor attractions, and destinations across Britain to get involved.
Canada
The campaign is targeting visitors that VisitBritain’s consumer research shows have the greatest commitment and intent to travel internationally in 2022 – and that includes Canada, which in 2019 saw 874,000 Canadian visits (up +3% from 2018) to the UK, the second highest year on record. Spend was £734m (up +8% from 2018) – also a new record.
“Over the past couple of years there has been huge pent-up demand for Canadians to travel, and our priority is to build back demand for Britain and visitor spending as quickly as possible, competing hard for international visitors who contribute billions to our economy,” VisitBritain SVP Americas Paul Gauger told Travel Industry Today.
“As well as messages of welcome and reassurance, we’re shining the spotlight on our vibrant and diverse cities. Telling the stories of our renowned heritage and iconic city attractions with a modern twist, our buzzing contemporary culture and innovative food and drink scene. So, for Canadians visiting for the first time – or the 10th – we are showing that Britain is bursting full of fresh and exciting new experiences to come and enjoy right now.”
Gauger notes that all testing requirements for COVID-19 have been recently removed in Britain for fully eligible vaccinated visitors (passenger locator form still required), resulting in “renewed ease and flexibility to… explore our dynamic and diverse cities, coast, and countryside.”
He also points to stellar roster of landmark events in the UK this year, including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee; 50th Pride in London; 75th Edinburgh Festivals; ‘Unboxed,’ the UK-wide celebration of creativity; and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which will bring together athletes and spectators from across 71 Commonwealth nations including Canada.
VisitBritain notes that more than half of travellers it surveyed across 13 markets who intended taking an international trip in the next 12 months had not yet booked or decided where to go, creating a valuable opportunity to influence destination-choice and bookings.
Further, the target audience for the campaign, based on its international consumer sentiment research, are travellers that showed the most commitment and intent to travel this year – an audience termed ‘buzzseekers,’ defined as high value experience-seekers who are spontaneous, pack lots into their holidays, and are looking for exciting new ideas and experiences.