VisitBritain has issued cultural tips to help the tourism industry better welcome overseas visitors and extended its marketing tie-up with the Barclays Premier League in the run up to the 2012 Olympics.
Extensively revised ‘market profiles’ on the VisitBritain website have been written by staff who are natives of the countries featured.
They include such advice as:
A smiling Japanese person is not necessarily happy – they tend to smile when angry, embarrassed, sad or disappointed.
Don’t be offended by Argentinean humour which may mildly attack your clothing or weight.
Avoid winking at someone from Hong Kong – it is often considered a rude gesture, as is
pointing with an index finger as this is generally used only for animals.
Do not be alarmed if South Africans announce that they were held up by robots – they mean traffic lights.
Avoid saying ‘thank you’ to a Chinese compliment, instead, politely deny a compliment to show humility.
The improved information can be found under Country Research in the Insights and Statistics section of www.visitbritain.org
Britain is currently ranked 14th out of 50 countries in the Nation Brands Index for the quality of the welcome would-be visitors believe they will get when they come here.
VisitBritain says some of our key competitors including Canada, Italy and Spain do better.
VisitBritain Chief Executive Officer Sandie Dawe MBE said: ”Overseas visitors spend more than £16 billion a year in Britain, contributing massively to our economy and supporting jobs across the country. So giving our foreign visitors a friendly welcome is absolutely vital to our economy.”
The organisation has also extended its marketing relationship with the Barclays Premier League for another three years. It’s dedicated football website, www.visitbritain.com/football helps foreign visitors get information on matches, buy tickets and arrange behind-the-scenes tours of grounds.
It also includes recommendations on what to do while in Britain from the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Tim Howard, Ryan Nelson and Andrei Arshavin.
by Debbie Ward
