I don’t know why Visit Britain is not doing more to promote the UK. I think that there is a lot of potential to enoucourage more UK residents to take short breaks and holidays in the UK, which is also good for the economy as travellers are not spending their pounds abroad. People are considering pollution caused by flying, delays at airports etc, More high profile promotion of what is on offer is the UK can only be a good thing. I think it all about changing attitudes and it may become more the norm to take say one or two holidays abroad a year instead of mutliple short breaks and holidays. In my UK based business I am focusing more than before on UK destinations because I think there is a growing domestic market.

VisitBritain is very much an in-bound market organisation. The smaller, regionalised units (VisitEngland, VisitScotland, VisitWales et al) are focussed on the domestic market.

klm, ed, travo

Funny you should post this Darren

One of our latest posts is entitled Visit Britain and about The Hotel Narrowboat Company.
Whilst it should interest Overseas Visitors it is a great Holiday for those of us that Live in the UK.

http://www.selectworld.travel/destination-essentials/2007/2/7/visit-britain-dawn-and-dusk-from-the-narrowboat-hotel-company.html

Having Greenpeace picketing our Holiday show recently, we decided to feature on our Blog more UK holiday Ideas as well as the rest of the World.

We Did invite companies such as Hoseasons, Superbreaks etc to our Holiday Show, but they declined to participate. Shame really they missed a good opportunity.

Talking of Hoseasons and UK Tourism, can thouroghly reccomend FINLAKE in North Devon for a long week-end or Weeks family Holiday in Lodge Style accommodation, unusual for British style Holiday camp style sites , FINLAKE has a restaurant and Menu to be proud of and is definatly not like Butlins or Pontins.

I enjoy traveling to and from the UK. My last trip was fantastic! I flew on Maxjet airlines which took us non-stop into Stansted airport. We shopped and eat at many fine restaurants in London and the locals were as always courteous. I can not understand why anyone would not consider the UK for vacation or business.

Will do, I planed to go to Edinburgh, but I did not have the time this trip. Perhaps next time.

Cheers

Natives do not think to travel around their own countries most of the time, I have seen very little of Ireland myself (I’m from Dublin) Considering that you live there, you are not tuned into advertising for your own country. I study tourism in college and the websites promoting Ireland abroad are great, we’re just not aware of them here. Does VisitBritain only promote to inbound tourists (like Fáilte Ireland here) or do you have an organisation that markets internationally (llike Tourism Ireland here)?

Actually no, I have seen them for Scotland but I don’t remember seeing any for England or Wales. I think there was one for London not so long ago.

Recently, Fáilte Ireland have started a big campaign to get locals to visit the rest of the country, especially the Midlands, as people never seem to go there, whether they’re domestic or international tourists. There’s been loads of TV campaigns, promoting events there and all that jazz. Do you ever see that kind of advertising for more rural areas of England?

From Travelmole.

The first annual British Tourism Week is taking place on March 12-18 and Prince Charles has been confirmed as Patron. A series of interlinked events are designed to raise national awareness of the size, value and importance of Britain’s £74 billion visitor economy.

Many of the big names in UK Tourism, including HRH, have been involved in the planning for this week of celebration, not least of which are VisitBritain and UKinbound.

British Tourism Week has just launched its web site, a matter of a few weeks before the event. It states the initiative ‘will galvanise the commitment of organisations and individuals to further improve and develop the industry. It will change the perception that the different sectors - from transport and tour operators to accommodation providers, travel agencies and attractions - operate independently. It will lay the foundations that will help ensure the future growth and prosperity of our visitor economy. It will help redefine both the image and the reality of British tourism in the important years ahead.’

These are very grand goals but are they not just the idle dreams of a Public Relations officer from Thames Tower? Do they give an insight to a true reflection of the industry? Is all this planning, organisation and, needless to say, money worth it? Is British tourism not in disarray with ongoing debates raging as to the validity of EnglandNet, VisitScotland.com and its various spin offs and the use of public money to support these efforts? Have the regional development authorities now superseded the regional tourist boards but with little or no knowledge or experience of the industry? And what of the Olympic Games some five years away but being run by a tourism authority that has little truck with the national authorities? How does the trade make money out of Britain?

With crappy weather like this why would you want to promote such a place!

Darren,

Thought you might be interested in this article accusing English MPS of disinterest in domestic tourism

http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1115918.php?mpnlog=1

\Read in article in today’s Travel Mole
http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1115925.php?mpnlog=1
hat there has been no increase in the £35.5 budget to market UK overseas for several years, meaning a 25 % drop in real terms.

I might be wrong on this, but it seems to me the UK is becoming United States light. It’s become so cosmopolitan and like the US I wonder that it begs the question, “why visit the UK when you can get the real thing in the US?”.

Mike is probably right in some respects. Many suggest the UK is the 51st state of the USA, but not because it is “cosmopolitan”, but due to the politics and rampact consumerism associated with America.

Travel-Rants straying into politics - whatever next……