23 January 2009

Hong Kong will host Visit Britain 2009

LONDON - Hong Kong will host this yearÃ¢â¬â¢s Destination Britain event.

Up to 50 British companies will have the opportunity to meet with more than 90 buyers at the JW Marriott hotel Hong Kong on May 11-14.

The event offers British tourism businesses a crucial route to 15 markets in the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA) and an opportunity to further boost the three million visits and Ã&#pound;2.4 billion spent in Britain by visitors from China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, South Africa and UAE.

VisitBritain said the UK tourism industry is busy pulling out all the stops to offer affordable packages without cutting back on the quality of experience.

The plummeting pound also means that Britain is now about 27 per cent cheaper for travellers from Hong Kong and 40 per cent cheaper for the Japanese.

In February, VisitBritain in conjunction with British Airways will be reinforcing this by offering return fares from Tokyo to London starting from 35,000 yen (approx Ã&#pound;250) to overturn the perception that Britain is one of the most expensive destinations to visit.

Garry White, VisitBritainÃ¢â¬â¢s regional director of Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa said, Ã¢â¬ÅâœHosting Destination Britain in Hong Kong in 2009 reinforces the importance of APMEA to BritainÃ¢â¬â¢s Ã&#pound;114 billion visitor economy.Ã¢â¬~

Further information at www.destination-britain.com