VisitBritain send six staff to Beijing
VisitBritain has revealed that a delegation will travel to the Beijing Olympics to try to drum up business for UK national and regional sporting facilities ahead of the London Olympics in 2012, at a cost of £50,000.
Fronted by VisitBritain chief executive Tom Wright, delegation will promote venues around the UK as pre-Games training camps.
The six-strong team from VisitBritatin will spend time in Beijing and Macau to gain an understanding of the economic benefit of training camps, as well as the requirements of athletes.
It will also launch a Pre-Games Training Camp prospectus and will showcase Britain’s sporting venues and facilities to senior members of National Olympic Committees and the international federations of the 26 sports participating in the 2012 Games.
“Being in Beijing this summer marks the first stage of our strategy to spread the economic benefits of the Olympics throughout the UK and raise the profile and awareness of Britain as a destination,†said Wright.
Working in partnership with Visit London, VisitBritain aims to echo the success of Sydney and Barcelona, which used their Games to stimulate visitor growth, and ensure that the legacy of hosting the Games extends from London to the whole of the UK.
Research commissioned by Oxford Economic Forecasting suggests that hosting the Games in 2012 could boost the UK visitor economy by just over £2bn, of which almost £1.5bn would be for London alone.
According to a recent online survey by VisitBritain of consumers in 35 countries, tourism gains are expected to come largely from emerging markets, particularly China, India, Malaysia, Mexico and South Korea, inspired by increased media exposure and publicity associated with the Games.
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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