09 April 2009

VisitBritain launches European phase of ad campaign

VisitBritain launches the European phase of its multi-million pound ‘Britain for Less’ campaign this week.

Running until the end of June, it is the national tourism agency’s largest campaign in Europe for several years.

In total, £1.8 million will be invested across 18 countries.

VisitBritain has joined forces with easyJet to offer low-cost flights from as low as £23 in 14 countries, including Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland.

British Airways is the preferred airline partner in Belgium, Norway, Russia and Sweden, offering fares from €72 including all taxes, fees and onboard services.

Special accommodation deals from £29.95 per person per night are provided by Jurys Inns and from £39 per room by IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) across its Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Express by Holiday Inn hotels.

The campaign is also being supported by Europcar.

The strapline invites Europeans to "see more for less", while a dedicated website, www.britainforless.com, highlights key destinations and provides ‘insider tips’ on value-for-money attractions and experiences.

Marketing support includes PR and media relations, travel trade activity, e-CRM to VisitBritain and partner databases, search engine optimisation and a media buy that includes advertorials in European versions of the Metro newspaper.

Laurence Bresh, VisitBritain’s regional director for Europe, said: "The global economic climate means that people are watching their wallets before deciding how they spend their money.

"While Britain remains among the world’s leading destinations, we want to make sure that visitors are aware of the surprising experiences they have yet to enjoy and the great exchange rates they can get if they travel right now."

By Bev Fearis

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Your Comments (1)

More NTO's need to be doing this!

It's encouraging to see that our very own Visit Britain are proactively working with the airlines in this way. So many NTO's have incredibly high visitor number targets and seem not to consider that they do not have the air capacity to deliver these passengers at present. India wants 5million new international tourists by 2010 This is the equivalent of 13,700 new daily tourists, or 40 new 747 flights/day. Singapore is projecting 17 million tourists by 2015 (up from 11 million) -This equates to 16,500 new tourists/day, or 120 new daily A320 flights. China expects visitor growth to expand by 7% annually. -This equates to 9,400 new visitors per day next year, or 62 new daily A320 flights All of these targets to be delivered whilst 11% of the World's air fleet is parked in the desert somewhere! NTO's need to be striking up relationships with the airlines directly either with (preferably)or without their airport authorities.

By ged brown, Friday, April 10, 2009