Post Olympics, UK plans countryside drive
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Following the recent success of the Olympic Games, the UK is aiming to encourage more international visitors to get out and explore the countryside.
Speaking to Travel Daily at the Destination Britain event in Kuala Lumpur this week, Keith Beecham, VisitBritain’s overseas director, revealed that a brand new marketing initiative, ‘Countryside is Great’ will be launched in autumn 2014, aimed at promoting a wider range of British rural destinations to the often London-focused international market. The campaign is expected to run for up to four years.
“On the back of the Olympic Games, 2013 was a great year for British tourism – the best year ever – [and] we thought ‘what do we do next?’ The label of ‘countryside’ allows us to talk about Britain in some interesting ways,” Beecham told Travel Daily in KL. “Countryside means a lot of things – coastline, villages, local food – there are a lot of different aspects we can embrace.”
And Beecham revealed that the latest branch of its broader ‘Great’ campaign was, in part, driven by visitor feedback.
“When we ask why people come to Britain they say three things: culture, heritage and countryside. What we found through our research and consultations with the industry is that countryside is a powerful motive, but it’s not well known. People say; ‘why didn’t you tell us about your countryside?’
“So the consumer is telling us we have a fantastic offering, but we’re not telling the consumer. So [the new campaign is] about communicating the offer of our countryside.”
Beecham stressed however, that this was not intended to draw visitors away from London.
“At its heart it’s selling ‘London and beyond London’. We’re never going to deny how important London is to British tourism, and we will continue to work hard to make sure people come to London. But we also want them to explore Britain.”
In terms of marketing and promotion, Beecham confirmed that ‘Countryside is Great’ will be a global campaign, but with a stronger emphasis on seven key source markets: USA, France, Germany, Gulf countries, Brazil, China and India. VisitBritain has a GBP17 million (US$29m) war chest to promote in these seven markets, and while this is for the entire ‘Great’ campaign, Beecham said that “the lens of the campaign going forward will be focused on the countryside”.
In terms of itineraries, Beecham said VisitBritain is “still working with the UK trade to bring them to the marketplace”. The tourism board is also in talks with other stakeholders including the UK’s national parks, the National Trust and destinations.
The exact launch date of ‘Countryside is Great’ has not yet been confirmed, but it is expected to be towards the end of autumn.
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