VisitBritain, the official tourism website for Great Britain, is partnering with British Airways, a UK-based airline company, as part of its marketing strategy following the 2012 London Olympics.
The agency has budgeted for a marketing expenditure of GBP13.5 million by partnering with airlines, hotel companies and tour operators, to offer bargains for overseas travellers.
In its new phase, the campaign will be offering advertising aimed at travellers in the US, India, China, Japan and the Middle East. The agency will be investing GBP5m in its partnership with British Airways to persuade travellers to visit Britain for Christmas shopping and to avail of the January sales, with a special offer from British Airways. The campaign is running from now until March 2013.
The agency has also announced a shopping campaign with Virgin Australia, with a combination of digital, radio, print and trade advertising.
The ‘The Big British Invite’ campaign features British people inviting tourists to visit Britain for its scenery and experiences. The ambassadors for the campaign include Alan Kingshott, chief yeoman warder of the Tower of London, and Ed Burstell, managing director of Liberty’s.
Christopher Rodrigues, the chairman of VisitBritain, said, ‘This summer has shown what the country can do when we are united in a common cause. This country showed passion, professionalism, drive and energy to stage the best ever Olympic and Paralympic Games. The test now is whether we can maintain this to create wealth and jobs through a major tourism drive.
This consultation with the industry, the public agencies and multiple Government departments that care about tourism and impact on its success has been designed to identify shared priorities and potential partnerships. International tourism is a growth industry but the global marketplace is getting tougher as other countries have recognised the potential of the sector. Britain can succeed if we focus – aligning priorities, investment and activity.
Tourism is the industry that can deliver the economic legacy of the 2012 Games. It is an industry that can deliver jobs quickly – right across Britain and at all skills levels – and much needed economic growth. Every GBP40,000 spent by overseas visitors to Britain can create a new job. International tourism is our third-largest earner of foreign exchange and contributed GBP3.1 billion to the nation’s coffers directly in taxation in 2011.’
