VisitBritain is set to host more than 120 international travel trade on educational visits across the UK as part of its flagship ‘Showcase Britain’ event. Starting today (Jan. 23) at Hampton Court Palace outside London, the showcase event will include a delegation of a dozen Canadian retail tourism representatives and VisitBritain staff, along with Travel Industry Today.
The group – among them reps from Goway Travel, Connection Tours, DHTour, TravelBrands, RIT, Kensington Tours, Arts&Leisure – will also attend the Britian and Ireland Marketplace on Friday in London, and continue on to Oxfordshire for the Canadian FAM.
With VisitBritain set to launch its global screen tourism campaign ‘Starring GREAT Britain’, many of the educational visits include film-and-tv inspired experiences, showing international travel buyers and media “the real destinations at the heart of the on-screen action.”
The educational trips will also shine the spotlight on the latest products and experiences on offer, getting those sold in international markets and onto the itineraries of future visitors, driving growth from tourism across the nations and regions.
“Thanks to our stunning scenery, heritage and world-class screen industries, many of the unforgettable moments that have taken our breath away at the cinema were filmed in the UK,” says Tourism Minister Sir Chris Bryant. “We want more visitors from home and abroad to immerse themselves in British destinations made famous thanks to film and TV, and events like this will help drive growth in our £74 billion tourism industry.
“Through our Plan for Change we want to welcome 50 million international visitors a year by 2030, while creating opportunity in local communities and setting the scene for the UK’s thriving visitor economy for years to come.”
At Showcase Britain, buyers will be welcomed by Bryant, VisitBritain Chairman Nick de Bois and its CEO Patricia Yates. VisitBritain’s trade teams will be updating delegates on its latest market research and insights with presentations also from VisitEngland, London & Partners, VisitScotland and Visit Wales on the latest products, experiences, hospitality and accommodation on offer across the nations and regions.
Stay tuned for more on Showcase Britain and UK tourism in Travel Industry Today in coming weeks.
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