‘Cold, pale, tea-drinking toffs’ – that’s our image abroad, says VisitBritain
WTM Special Report: We are cold, pale aristocrats who drink afternoon tea with our little finger stuck in the air – that’s the view most foreigners still have of the British, according to VisitBritain.
And our most famous images are a football club in decline, a princess who died eight years ago and a mythical monster, namely Manchester United, Princess Diana and the Lock Ness Monster.
VisitBritain strategy and communications director Sandie Dawe said there persists an outdated and inaccurate image of the nation that needs tackling.
“The positives are our heritage, culture and countryside but research keeps telling us we are seen as cold and formal people, white and aristocrats who drink afternoon tea,” she said. “And the further you get from Britain the stronger that stereotype holds true.
“People overseas don’t see Britain as modern and dynamic and multi-cultural. But we are and we need to get that message across.”
Even internationally celebrated music stars, such as Coldplay, are mistakenly regarded as American, said Dawe, as foreigners fail to associate us with superstardom.
On the plus side however, the millions who do visit England find us helpful and friendly, she added.
Report by Steve Jones
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