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VisitBritain to focus on new markets
VisitBritain is to target new and developing markets such as Mexico with increased investment to attract more tourists.
The tourist office has identified 11 areas to develop in 2006-07 including China, India, eastern European and south east Asian countries which are already outpacing many of Britain’s traditional tourism markets.
Identifying these markets as highlighting a “significant opportunity” for inbound tourism, VisitBritain unveiled two new strategies designing to boost the “tourist economy” from £74 billion a year towards £100 billion by 2010.
Chief executive Tom Wright said: “The strategies will help convert growing consumer interest about visiting Britain to ‘action’ by providing services that will help customers not only ‘look’ at all the destination offers, but also to book, travel, stay, tell and keep in touch.”
His comments came as the organisation revealed a 2% downturn in visitors from North America to 3.75 million in the first 10 months of the year over the same period in 2004. Visitors from western Europe were up 11% to 16.32 million and those from the rest of the world rose by 16% to 5.42 million. Overall expenditure in the period was up 8% to £11.9 billion.
This gave a total in the January-October period of 25.5 million visitors, up 10% on the first 10 months the previous year. There was a total of 27.7 million visitors in 2004.
Referring to the impact of the July terrorist attacks on London, Wright said: “Although international visitors appear to be less seriously affected by 7/7, the events of the summer are still having an impact on overnight and day trips taken by British people.”
He added: “The inbound tourism industry is a vital component of Britain’s national economy. International consumers spend £13 billion ‘buying’ British tourism – that’s more than they spend buying crude oil, vehicles, or food, beverages and tobacco from us.
“Hitting our £100 million target will be a tough challenge, against some formidable competitors. Government and the commercial sector must continue to make long term investment if we are to fully realise the potential of the visitor economy.”
Report by Phil Davies
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