Brits encouraged to holiday at home

The British will be encouraged to holiday at home rather than abroad under new plans by tourism authority VisitBritain. But the campaign will only be trying to increase the number of holidays taken in England as VisitBritain – while it promotes Britain to the world – is only tasked with promoting England to the British. However a VisitBritain spokeswoman denied this was confusing. She told TravelMole: “We have clear guidelines and funding ringfenced for promoting England. It was a decision that was made by the Department of Culture Media and Sport and we don’t see any confusion. It has allowed us to get campaigns for England up and running very quickly.” Since its creation in April, VisitBritain has run three domestic campaigns. The spokeswoman said that while there had recently been a “huge interest’ in holidaying at home, she believed this was more to do with the hot weather, raised standards and people wanting less hassle rather than any perceived terrorist threat abroad. According to VisitBritain satisfaction levels among those who took their main holiday in England last year were as high as those who took their main holiday abroad and the average cost of a holiday in England is just £50 per night, compared with £88 per night for holidays abroad. But it claims that in a typical year, a third of Britons will only go abroad for their holidays. The organisation’s plans include improving awareness of English holiday brands and destinations; making it easier for the public to get relevant information and developing the business tourism market. Domestic tourism in England is believed to be worth £52 billion a year, and according to VisitBritain’s England marketing director Michael Bedingfield the possibilities are enormous. He said: “We believe that tourism has the potential to grow by one third, from £76bn to £100bn, by 2010 and domestic tourism is 80% of that figure. Business tourism alone in England is expected to grow by over a third within the next three years”. The latest strategy has been created in partnership with the England Marketing Advisory Board – a non-executive panel of private and public sector marketing and tourism experts appointed by the Government to advise VisitBritain on its England marketing strategies and activities. To receive a copy of the England Marketing Strategy call 020 8563 3246 or visit the VisitBritain website.