VisitBritain will welcome 50 international travel trade buyers for a series of educational visits across Britain beginning March 14.
The trade visits are a mix of three to five day itineraries to destinations across England, Wales and Scotland.
Buyers from the UK’s three largest inbound tourism markets, the USA, France and Germany, are attending as well as from Canada, the Netherlands, the Nordics, Italy and Spain.
VisitBritain Deputy CEO Patrica Yates said: “We are delighted to be hosting and reconnecting international travel buyers with local destinations, highlighting the outstanding tourism products on offer, that Britain is packed full of fresh and exciting experiences to come and enjoy now, and that our industry is ready to welcome back visitors and provide a first-class experience.
“Working with the international trade, ensuring they are ready to sell Britain, is crucial to driving back bookings and spending.
“We also want to broaden travel itineraries, encouraging visitors to stay longer and explore further, and boost visits across the shoulder season, supporting local businesses, destinations and economies.”
Highlights include an event hosted by VisitBritain at The View from The Shard in central London on Monday 14 March with a welcome from VisitBritain’s Deputy CEO Patricia Yates, updates from the agency’s trade teams as well as London & Partners, VisitScotland and Visit Wales, on the latest products, experiences, hospitality and accommodation.
Buyers will also hear about VisitBritain’s £10 million GREAT Britain marketing campaign ‘Welcome to Another Side of Britain’.
There will also be an overview on this year’s landmark events including HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and the ground-breaking ‘Unboxed’ events across the UK.
All itineraries include London with 11 buyers from the USA heading to Devon and Cornwall and nine Canadian buyers to the West Midlands, as the region prepares to host the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Six buyers from France will visit Kent and six German buyers will visit The Cotswolds.
Four buyers from the Nordics will travel to Northern England and the Scottish Borders, four from the Netherlands will go to Wales and 10 buyers from Italy and Spain will visit Scotland.
The educational visits come as VisitBritain also gears up to host its flagship global trade event ExploreGB Virtual from 21 to 25 March.
VisitBritain’s latest forecast for 2022 estimates 21.1 million inbound visits to the UK, 52% of 2019 levels. Its forecast for overseas visitor spending in the UK this year is £16.9 billion, 59% of the spending in 2019.
Inbound tourism was worth more than £28 billion to the UK economy in 2019, its third-largest service export and a major part of British trade.
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