VisitBritain puts Northwest in spotlight for French, US tourists
VisitBritain has awarded funds to Liverpool City Region Destination Partnership and Marketing Manchester to encourage French and American travellers to explore the northwest of England.
The GREAT Gateway Innovation Fund – which sees destinations and the tourism industry partner to drive visitor spending through regional gateways – will focus on easyJet’s Paris-Liverpool flights and Virgin Atlantic’s New York-Manchester route.
Nearly £400,000 of funding has been earmarked to develop international marketing activity.
VisitBritain will also work with easyJet; Go North Wales Tourism; Liverpool John Lennon Airport; Manchester Airports Group; Marketing Chester and Cheshire; Rabbie’s Tours; Virgin Atlantic; Cumbria Tourism; Visit Peak District and Derbyshire; and Visit Wales.
VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates said: “We are encouraging destinations to work in partnership with the tourism industry to showcase the very best of their region to visitors.”
“This important fund also highlights how easy it is for international visitors to travel through our regional gateways.”
Marketing activity will include VisitBritain’s global screen tourism campaign ‘Starring GREAT Britain’, which is luring visitors to experience film and TV locations and places seen-on-screen.
‘Starring GREAT Britain’ has been VisitBritain’s most successful campaign since 2019 generating £217 million in additional spending by international visitors from its launch in January to June 2025.
In 2024, the US and France were the two largest inbound markets for visits to the UK.
Both also featured in the top three markets for visitor spend.
VisitBritain is forecasting 5.5 million visits (up 1%) and 3.7 million visits (up 4%) from the US and France respectively in 2026, spending £7.6 billion (up 4%) and £2.2 billion (up 7%).
Natalie Wyatt, Liverpool City Region Destination Partnership Managing Director, said:
“We are delighted in securing this funding to increase the number of inbound visitors to the region and wider Northwest. Working with destination partners, easyJet and Liverpool John Lennon Airport we will emphasise unique, authentic and memorable activities.”
Victoria Braddock, Marketing Manchester Managing Director, added: “The US is an important market for Greater Manchester, and we are pleased to have been successful in securing funding to continue to strengthen awareness and presence for the region in key areas such as New York.”
VisitBritain’s Gateway Fund encourages collaboration between local destinations and industry working in partnership to promote inbound gateways.
Related News Stories: Visit Britain - TravelMole Partner News - TravelMole
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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