VisitBritain around the world

We have 24 dedicated offi ces around the world.

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Published by VisitBritain T: +44 (0)20 7578 1000 E: industry.relations@visitbritain.org W: visitbritain.org Twitter: @VisitBritainBiz LinkedIn group: VisitBritain VisitBritain ©VisitBritain 2014 Building the value of tourism to Britain 02 | VisitBritain About Us

2013. A record breaking year

2013 was a record breaking year for inbound tourism. As well as 12.7 million holiday visits – up 6% compared to 2012 – Few industries are as important to Britain as tourism. Visitor spend was £21 billion, 12.7% higher than in 2012 in levels of business travellers rose by 7% and those visiting friends nominal terms, and international visitors reached a new high and relatives increased by 4% compared to 2012. of 32.8 million, 5.6% more than in 2012. Inbound tourism is delivering economic benefi ts right across Britain. The UK’s fi fth largest, Spend is growing faster than value fi gures which means higher The value of inbound tourism to Scotland and to various regions spending visitors are coming to Britain. of England grew by 20% and 15% respectively, in comparison to an increase in visitor spend of 12% in London. it supports 3.1 million jobs, over Our top ten markets in 2013 200,000 small and medium-sized enterprises, By volume By value Visits (thousands) % Total Spend (millions) % Total France 3,930 12 USA 2,548 12 and contributes to £127 billion (9%) to the Germany 3,162 10 Germany 1,408 7 1 USA 2,791 9 France 1,350 6 country’s GDP each year . Inbound tourism is already Irish Republic 2,395 7 Australia 1,194 6 Netherlands 1,922 6 Spain 905 4 one of Britain’s top export Spain 1,704 5 Italy 830 4 Italy 1,666 5 Irish Republic 818 4 industries and its record performance since Poland 1,357 4 Netherlands 720 3 Belgium 1,188 4 Norway 537 3 the London 2012 Games bodes well for Australia 1,070 3 Canada 533 3

the future. In 2013, more than 32.8 million international visitors spent a record £21 billion2 and contributed £6.7 billion in tax and duty to the Exchequer3.

2. Offi ce for National Statistics (ONS) International Passenger Survey 2012 1. Tourism: jobs and growth, Deloitte, November 2013 3. Tourism: jobs and growth, Deloitte, November 2013 04 | VisitBritain About Us

Where in the world is Britain now Our focus

A great place to be Impact on economy The impressive hosting of the London 2012 Olympic Games Inbound tourism is a key part of the economy and looking ahead, and Paralympic Games has transformed the world’s perceptions tourism is predicted to play a major role in Britain’s economic Our mission of Britain. recovery. The sector is set to grow signifi cantly faster than the overall economy, at an annual rate of 3.8% to 2025. Britain’s tourism To build the value of tourism to Britain, working in partnership with the Britain has jumped two places and is now ranked third out of all industry could be worth over £257 billion by 2025 – just under industry, nations and regions to generate additional visitor spend. international tourist destinations for “overall nation brand”, 10% of GDP, and support over 3.7 million jobs – around 11% and for the fi rst time Britain is seen in the top ten countries for of total UK employment. its welcome. Perceptions of Britain’s culture and natural beauty have also signifi cantly improved. 63% were more likely to holiday Inbound tourism is predicted to be the fastest growing tourism in Britain as a result4. Three quarters of respondents to the sector, and a driving force of growth for the wider economy, with Anholt-GfK Roper Nations Brand Index wanted to see more spend by international visitors forecast to grow by over 6% a year Our vision of Britain than just London alone and 70% were impressed by for the rest of the decade, resulting in the value of the sector Britain’s countryside. increasing from over £21bn in 2013 to £57bn by 2025. This would To inspire the world to explore Britain. result in a net contribution to the UK’s balance of payments – The latest biennial World’s Economic Forum’s Travel & the fi rst in almost forty years. Competitiveness Report saw the UK improve its position from seventh to fi fth out of more than 130 destinations worldwide thanks Tourism’s infl uence is much wider than the direct spending of to signifi cant increases in the scores of affi nity for employment, tourists. It’s estimated the tourism gross value multiplier (GVA) attitude towards visitors and eff ectiveness of marketing – a is 2.2 – for every £1,000 generated via tourism there is a further Our strategy testament to the impact of the GREAT Britain campaign. £1,200 created elsewhere in the economy through the supply chain.

Successfully attracting international visitors has a direct impact 1. To inspire travellers from overseas to visit and explore Britain. on tourism. 22 additional visitors to the UK would spend enough 2. Use our global network to support the promotion of British Britain’s tourism industry could be money to generate the £54,000 marginal cost of one new job in tourism. Tourism employs a larger number of young people than tourism overseas. worth over £257 billion by 2025 and other sectors, 28% of tourism employees are aged 16-24 compared support over 3.7 million jobs. with 12% in the wider economy.5 3. Advise Government and the industry on tourism issues, particularly those aff ecting our global competitiveness. 4. Maximise public investment through partner engagement and 4. Anholt GfK Roper Nations Brand Index 5. Tourism: jobs and growth, Deloitte, November 2013 and ONS IPS 2014 commercial activity. 06 | VisitBritain About Us

The role of VisitBritain How we’re inspiring the world to visit and explore Britain

As the strategic body for inbound tourism to Britain – “GREAT Britain – You’re invited” Making the most of digital and social media a non-departmental public body funded by the Department for Our priorities for 2014/2015 With Britain’s image riding high around the world after the Social media is vital to our marketing strategy. A prominent Culture, Media and Sport – we’re responsible for promoting Games we seized the moment to turn viewers into visitors presence on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Weixin and Weibo Britain worldwide and developing its visitor economy. Successfully deliver the fourth year of our match with our post-Games marketing campaign. helps us to generate a sense of community in our target audiences. funded £100 million marketing programme, and Inspiring the world to visit Britain Independent research shows that Britain’s image has changed for Our international reach is strengthened by a global partnership implement a new partnership strategy to secure We play a unique role in promoting Britain to consumers around the better and global sentiment is at an all-time high. As a result with Yahoo! that off ers access to content about Britain from one the world. Our mission is to grow the value of inbound tourism high levels of return. of our marketing activity in 2011-13 we attracted nearly 2 million of the world’s most visited homepages. to Britain by increasing visitor numbers and visitor spending in additional visitors and generated over £1 billion in additional Continue our lead role in the GREAT Britain Via our databases, e-newsletters and websites VisitBritain.com, all parts of Britain. Currently every pound invested in our tourism visitor spend. marketing results in overseas visitors spending £19 in the country. campaign; contributing £700 million of Lovewall.visitbritain.com and VisitBritain.tv we engage with millions of potential visitors annually and inspire them to We also work to improve Britain’s ranking in the eyes of incremental spend by visitors to the UK. During 2014/15, we enter the fourth year of our match-funded, visit Britain. international travellers. £100 million GREAT Britain programme, with additional funds Work with partners to leverage major events To achieve our objectives we work with partners both in the UK and invested by Government for an image campaign. It’s part of a Harnessing the power of the press overseas. These partners include government agencies, such as UK such as the Ryder Cup, Glasgow Commonwealth broader Government initiative to show the world that Britain Trade and Investment (UKTI), the Foreign and Commonwealth Offi ce Games, and the Grand Départ of the Tour de is a great place to visit, study in, invest in and do business We have a global PR presence and work closely with broadcasters and journalists worldwide. (FCO) and the British Council; the offi cial tourism bodies for London, France to showcase Britain. with – tightly integrated with the work carried out by the other England, Scotland, Wales and destinations; global brands such as government agencies and departments such as the UKTI, DCMS, Thousands of journalists use our online media centre to access the Barclays Premier League, and airlines and operators. Maximise the potential in terms of reach and the FCO and the British Council. regularly updated features, broadcast-quality footage and a library We act as a route to market for small tourism businesses through engagement of new digital platforms for both Our marketing uses the key triggers for travel to Britain – culture, of over 3,000 copyright-free photographs. Available in 14 languages, our B2B, digital and retail activities. Through engagement with consumer and corporate audiences. heritage and countryside – supported by shopping, food, sport, it also carries previews of new developments, attractions and events. the industry we work to improve regional distribution and ensure adventure and music. Our PR team is frequently called upon to help foreign broadcasters that British destinations and travel products are available for sale Deliver improvements to the range of Britain with fi lming permits, guides, translators, transport and other around the world. product promoted overseas, and its route to market. location services. By providing world-class insights, trends, analysis and performance Every single piece of international media coverage we generate is research for industry sectors, we can encourage international Continue to develop our business acumen and In 2011-14 we generated £7.9 billion rigorously evaluated for content, audience reach, monetary value marketing that’s inspirational and relevant, as well as better grow commercial income from retail. worth of positive editorial coverage and impact. targeted product development. in overseas media. As trusted advisor to Government and industry on tourism issues – Remain committed to raising the profi le of tourism, particularly those that affect the UK’s international competitiveness – advocate growth policies and advise Ministers. we provide policy solutions, market intelligence and customer insights. 08 | VisitBritainV About Us

Getting down to business-to-business Making the most of public money We also help to widen Britain’s appeal by encouraging UK tour through partnership operators and travel agents to develop new programmes and During 2011/14 we raised at least £43 million in partner support itineraries promoting and selling heritage, culture, countryside, from tourism industry partners and global brands – in particular food, shopping, sport, music and adventure across the country. British Airways − and worked with key tourist boards and trade associations. Our international travel trade activities include sales missions and workshops, familiarisation visits to Britain, the BritAgent programme Our four-year funding agreement is dependent upon raising cash to educate overseas travel agents, and a dedicated website. and marketing-in-kind support from industry partners. The major tourism businesses we work with include British Airways, easyJet, A worldwide retail operation – Expedia, Hilton Worldwide, Hostelworld, P&O Ferries, STA Travel, visitbritainshop.com Virgin Atlantic, Monarch, made, Air India, Qatar Airways, Etihad, The VisitBritain shops provide our partners with cost-eff ective Emirates and Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum. access to overseas consumers and comprise local-market The England, Scotland, Wales and London tourist boards, together websites across 13 currencies in seven languages. More than 150 with destinations, provide inspirational content for our marketing products are available for the international traveller to purchase activity. In return, we add value to their marketing via international before they travel including tours and tickets that enhance a travel trade events, research and insights into overseas markets visitor’s stay, encourage them to explore the whole country, and through our digital channels. and improve perceptions of Britain’s welcome. As well as working with trade associations, such as the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA), British Hospitality Association (BHA), European Tour Operators Association (ETOA), British Educational Travel Association (BETA) and UKinbound and “Scotland plays a central role in the international the wider tourism industry, we also extend our international reach appeal of Britain and we share the strategy’s ambition through partnerships with global brands such as the Barclays for long-term growth. With world class sporting Premier League and Sony Pictures. events such as the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup we have an opportunity to showcase our hospitality to the world. We look forward to continuing to work closely with VisitBritain to promote Scottish destinations overseas.”

Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive VisitScotland 10 | VisitBritain About Us

Making our global reach go further Britain 2020 growth strategy

To secure the economic legacy of the London 2012 Games The GREAT Britain campaign has seen us working much more A strong digital presence connects us with a global audience. Strategic approach to our markets: VisitBritain launched an ambitious, long-term strategy to attract strategically with other public diplomacy partners (including the We have dedicated staff around the world and work with 40 million international visitors a year, spending £31.3 billion, FCO, UKTI, DCMS and the British Council). partners in countries where we do not have a physical presence. by 2020 – an ambition endorsed by our DCMS ministers. RE-ENERGISE In addition, the campaign has shown the role that British Our focus is on markets off ering immediate returns or long-term This is a strategy for Britain – with the travel industry, brands and businesses can play in shaping Britain’s image Large value/volume markets that deliver revenue now promise. We implement diff erentiated marketing strategies to government departments and agencies uniting behind a clear around the world – and the impact that this has on tourism and where we need to ensure Britain continues to maximise return in each market. long-term ambition for growth. and investment decisions. compete for visitors. These strategies are based on our customer insight, our knowledge e.g. USA Our aim is to work in partnership, so that organisations across Alongside the strategy we have published individual market of what motivates them to visit and Britain’s competitive positioning. the public and private sectors can align to deliver tourism’s full strategies for each of our 21 markets, setting out how we can economic growth potential over the remainder of this decade. transform our competitive performance by 2016. We also extend our reach outside our 21 markets through the development and delivery of a key nurture markets strategy. The private sector has a key role to play. Although fragmented, “We are running in a global race, and competition is GROW the industry already provides signifi cant support to the Selling Britain Medium-sized markets that deliver revenue now, marketing of Britain overseas. We have already attracted over getting tougher... We want to go further and faster with good growth prospects. £50 million investment in our four-year marketing programme, We are working even more closely with the overseas trade to than the competition.” e.g. Nordics and we aim to build on this in the future. improve regional distribution and ensure that British destinations Rt Hon Maria Miller MP, Secretary of State for Culture and travel products are available for sale around the world. Media and Sport Our strong relationship with public diplomacy partners such as the UKTI, DCMS and the British Council, and co-location overseas with MAKE the FCO, also enable us to extend the infl uence of the tourism Fast-growing markets where we need to compete agenda and to continue to boost Britain’s image overseas. more eff ectively to safeguard future tourism growth. e.g. China Enhance Broaden Britain’s Britain’s image Ensure that strong product Make visiting by playing to its Britain is offering Britain easier strengths such as so that it continues to by addressing limiting heritage, traditional and packaged NURTURE meet the expectations factors such as aviation contemporary culture. Markets that are of interest to FCO and UKTI as well as and sold of new visitors from capacity and the current At the same time, build on tourism and where VisitBritain currently doesn’t invest. more widely by working growth markets. visa process. the positive perceptions of e.g. South Korea with the travel trade in Britain generated by our key markets. year in the global spotlight. 12 | VisitBritain About Us

We have met, if not exceeded, targets set by Government. Through the fi rst two years of our four-year marketing programme, we attracted nearly 2m additional visitors who have contributed £1.1bn to the UK economy. The GREAT campaign more than doubled the intention to visit in the next year by those that VisitBritain key performance indictors recall the campaign resulting in 588,000 potential visits.

4 year Results for Results for Results for Cumulative result Indicator description Defi nition target 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 to 31st March 2014 Status

The amount visitors spent in Britain that resulted directly Results not yet Results not yet Additional visitor spend On target from VisitBritain interventions £2bn £503m £579m available available

The monetary value of press and PR coverage generated in £3.2bn £7.9bn Already exceed Advertising equivalent value overseas media based on what equivalent advertising space £1bn £3.7bn £1bn (note 1) (note 2) target £100m would have cost tactical

campaign Marketing and PR spend Grant in aid spent on Marketing and PR £46.7m £11.6m £14.3m £13.3m £39.2m On target

Partner contribution Cash and in-kind contributions from partners On target (cash and in-kind off ers) to VisitBritain activities £53.3m £14.3m £14.3m £14.5m £43.1m

Target for Results for Target to Yearly result Status Indicator description Defi nition 2012/13 2012/13 31st March 2014 to 31st March 2014

The estimated amount visitors spent in Britain that resulted Results not yet Additional visitor spend £188m£200m £188m On target GREAT directly from VisitBritain interventions available image Cash contributions from partners campaign Partner contribution cash On target to VisitBritain activities £2.5m£2.7m £3m £3m

Note 1: The fi gure of £2.8bn reported in 2012/13 accounts was provisional. It has since been revised upwards to £3.2bn. Note 2: This result is due to strong demand for and interest in the whole of Britain from media (broadcast in particular (that delivers high AEV) resulting from delivery of media strategy implemented in the 12-18 months prior to the Games. 14 | VisitBritain About Us

What people say about us

“In 2006 India was my 17th biggest market from “Since we launched the campaign in Italy, bookings overseas and this year it’s my second. And all that have gone up by 20%. To go up by 20% has been growth is down to going on the VisitBritain fantastic. And from learning from that one lesson, we workshops in India, to the Destination Britain have also decided we will partner with VisitBritain APMEA events in the Far East and doing effi cient on our Spanish markets in the next year.” follow up.” James Massey Monarch Ashley Jones Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum

“There’s a real status to working with VisitBritain. “VisitBritain really opens UK theatre to the It allowed us to be really innovative and work world. It really does push us and the message of really closely with VisitBritain to make sure we not UK theatre out to the world.” only hit our numbers, we blew them out of the John Bridge water in a really fresh and interesting campaign.” made

Alec McCrindle Yahoo! “Expedia off ers a global platform for partners to “Great Britain You’re Invited has been a huge use the platform that we have, to reach millions success for British Airways. Following these of travellers from around the world. VisitBritain events we saw a spike in number of visits to is extremely professional in what they do, and ba.com and an increase in bookings.” sets standards across all tourism boards that we deal with.”

Tehreem Ashraf Seamus MacCormaic British Airways Expedia