Tourism body touts ‘good value Britain’
Sunday, 18 May, 2009
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VisitBritain is touting its value statement across the globe saying that now is a good time to visit the country with the pound at a low against a basket of overseas currencies including the dollar and euro.
“It is about telling and selling the value story, a holiday in the UK can be 40% to 50% cheaper than it was last year,” said Christopher Rodrigues, chairman of VisitBritain.
Rodrigues has been in Hong Kong and now Brazil talking about the country being a great value destination.
“We are showcasing the UK in India with the lowest price in history,” said Rodrigues, speaking while attending the annual global summit of the World Travel and Tourism Council in Florianopolis, Brazil. “Continental Europe already realises it is good value and we are seeing good load factors with companies like Air Asia X coming to the UK.”
He added: “We need to tell people the UK is great value in terms they understand, whether it be the Big Mac index or other measures.
“Britain needs to raise its game, continue to build quality delivery and improve our ‘welcome’ – the first 24 hours when people arrive in the country.”
In February, VisitBritain launched a range of travel products to attract tourists from India including travel cards and a London pass – allowing entry into tourist attractions that travellers could buy in India before flying to Britain.
The 2012 Olympics is also proving vital to peg new tourism business to, as are other sporting occasions — such as the Ryder Cup for golf “which is galvenising Welsh tourism,” and the Commonwealth Games in Scotland, “we are talking two to three year partnerships now,” says Rodrigues. “It is a time to build relationships…we’ve been tactical but now we need to be more strategic.”
The organisation, which generates £3.5 billion in PR for the country, according to Rodrigues, is still looking at the impact the economic downturn is having on the UK tourism industry, “114,000 tourism jobs are currently still at risk,” he warned.
VisitBritain hopes that a predicted 20% rise in British holidays this summer, will soften some of the problems the industry is facing, while VisitLondon has launched a £2 million “Only in London” campaign to promote activities in the capital.
“In the downturn we have seen more people in the UK coming together than every before,” explained Rodrigues.
The organisation has asked the UK government to consider a year-long trial of cheaper visas. Instead of paying £67 for a UK visa on top of £46 to get into a group of 25 countries in Europe, visitors would be able to get a visa including the UK for just £66 under the proposals.
“We need a Schengen add-on, we really do need this” stressed Rodrigues.
by Nick Easen
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