A new promotion by Visit England, the authority responsible for the development of English tourism, is to be co-funded by operators in the UK tourism industry.
Popular plasticine animation characters Wallace and Gromit will be fronting the government-backed campaign, which is to be known as ‘Great Adventure.’ It has a budget of £4 million, £2 million of which is in direct funding from the government. In addition, the campaign will be backed by a number of high street operators and travel agents who will be launching a range of holiday packages in the UK and offering £2 million in ‘in-kind’ support. The organisations involved will be announced soon.
From May 12, a television advert will be aired featuring Wallace and Gromit setting off to explore the UK’s finest destinations. The promotion has a duration of two months, and during that time the advert will also be run in cinema’s and on a range of other mass media formats. Meanwhile, activity by the tourism operators will continue until September. In addition to Visit England, the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish tourist boards are also backing the promotion.
Nick Park, a director at Aardman Animations Ltd and the creator of Wallace and Gromit, commented, ‘Leisure time has always been very important to Wallace and Gromit, so it’s great to see them making this holiday choice.’
This latest campaign is the second phase of the ‘Holidays at Home are Great’ promotion that began last year. Commenting on the first phase, Hugh Robertson, the UK’s tourism minister, said, ‘The first instalment of the Holidays at Home campaign was a great success, generating growth of £300 million.’
