The Mole meets Tom Wright CEO Visit Britain
Tom Wright has been at Visit Britain some six years, a period which has seen the organisation undergo significant change, with the British Government having once again slashed the Visit Britain’s budget, just prior to the 2012 Olympics.
Tom told The Mole that VB’s global mission is leading the world to Britain – giving leadership to the marketing of Brian and working to support the industry and develop the British product and offering.
He said that the big shift at VB is developing leadership in developing markets, adding, “We know that the majority of our visitors come from the EU and North America but we recognise the huge importance of developing markets and our role is to provide the market insights and intelligence in those markets.”
“In Asia Pacific, we have increased our spend to 25% of our budget, which is the same as Americas, where we have maintained our investment.”
He said, “We know that Asia is a long term commitment and we also tend not to do short term bursts in market and we also have to develop long term trade and consumer trust and commitment.”
Tom added, “Australia is our No 1 market in the region, with over 1 million visitors per annum and growing!”
“Even with world ups and downs Australia and New Zealand are very stable and resilient markets.”
“We also value these markets more highly in many ways than others because the average length of stay and regional spread is second to none.”
“Aussies get out and about and see much more of Britain than many other markets, having said that though, average duration of visit of the whole world is down, but Kiwis stay an average of 19 days and Aussies 13 days.”
by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025