VisitBritain will welcome more than 120 travel trade buyers from 16 international markets – including Canada ¬– starting this week for a series of educational visits across Britain. The three-to-five-day itineraries across the UK are designed to showcase that Britain is “packed full of fresh and exciting experiences for visitors to come and enjoy right now.”
Travel Industry Today will be the only Canadian media in attendance, accompanying Team Canada to destinations including Bath, Bristol, and Cardiff (so, stay tuned for coverage).
“Canada is an incredibly important market for the UK for inbound tourism. Working closely with international travel trade is crucial to selling travel to Britain, and we look forward to continuing our work and building towards a strong recovery in 2023,” says VisitBritain’s Executive VP for The Americas, Paul Gauger.
He adds, “We are delighted for this opportunity to bring together many of our industry partners to share updates and offer first-hand experiences of the outstanding and varied tourism products on offer in Britain.”
The hosted visits are part of the national tourism agency’s ‘Showcase Britain’ event, which gets underway with a networking event for the international buyers and travel media at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Jan. 26. The buyers will be officially welcomed by VisitBritain Chairman Nick de Bois followed by updates from the agency’s trade teams as well as from London & Partners, VisitScotland, and Visit Wales on the latest products, experiences, hospitality and accommodation.
Before heading off on their educational tours, the buyers will also attend the ‘Britain and Ireland Marketplace’ (BIM) on Jan. 27, which includes a full day of appointments with tourism suppliers and destinations from across Britain.
The educational visits come as VisitBritain also gears up to host its flagship global trade event ExploreGB Virtual from Feb. 27 to March 2.
VisitBritain is also set to launch a new GREAT Britain marketing campaign in February to drive bookings, inviting visitors to ‘See Things Differently,’ showcasing Britain as a dynamic, exciting, and inclusive destination.
Major events
The campaign is also capturing major events in 2023 including the Coronation of King Charles III in May, with an additional Bank Holiday announced, and Liverpool hosting the Eurovision Song Contest, on behalf of Ukraine, also in May, timely and valuable opportunities to promote Britain’s welcome, creativity, and ability to host events of the highest calibre.
VisitBritain’s latest forecast for 2023 estimates 35.1 million inbound visits to the UK, 86% of 2019 levels and 18% higher than levels seen in 2022. Its forecast for overseas visitor spending in the UK this year is £29.5 billion, a projected record high for annual inbound visitor spend.