Australia to host next Destination Britian event
National tourism agency, VisitBritain has announced that Australia is to host the next Destination Britain event in May 2008.
The Australian event will be a major element of VisitBritain’s ambitions for British tourism as it prepares to take the torch of the Olympic Games and to leverage the opportunities presented by the London 2012 Games.
Tourism’s biggest business-to-business event of its kind, Destination Britain attracts key travel trade buyers, decision-makers and media from more than ten countries in the Asia-Pacific region. It helps British tourism businesses to further boost the 2.3 million visits and £1.9 billion spent in this country by visitors from Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.
Michael Bedingfield, VisitBritain’s director of marketing, says: “Nearly 1 in 20 Australians come to Britain every year and many of them will be watching us closely to see if we can better the triumph of the Sydney Olympics.
“Hosting Destination Britain in Australia in 2008 recognises its importance to Britain’s £85 billion visitor economy. Taking place on the 50th anniversary of VisitBritain’s presence in Australia, Destination Britain 2008 will help ensure the 2012 Games raises awareness of all our destination offers. It will help us prove to the region’s travel trade that Britain is ready to welcome many more Australians and the rest of the world in 2012 and beyond.”
The 2007 event, held in Beijing and opened by the British Ambassador to China, Sir William Ehrman, has already been hailed the most successful to date by the 49 British tourism businesses and 93 Asian Pacific buyers who attended. National and regional tourist boards, hotel groups, attractions and tour operators held an impressive 46 meetings apiece during two days of business-to-business sessions. Destination Britain closed with a Britain Rocks! Themed evening and a live performance by The Backbeat Beatles sponsored by Liverpool 08 - the springboard for the UK’s Cultural Olympiad and a focus of VisitBritain’s marketing communications around Britain’s culture appeals.
Anna Maloney, Liverpool 08 Promotions Manager, says: “This is the first time that Liverpool has taken part in Destination Britain and it certainly exceeded our expectations. Meeting with all the key players in the Asia-Pacific travel industry, allowed us to both gain a greater understanding of each market and also present the best that Liverpool has to offer as European Capital of Culture in 2008 and beyond, cementing our position as the UK’s fastest growing - and sixth most popular - city destination for international visitors.”
Almost a quarter of this year’s UK contingent were first-time participants, and took part in seminars on VisitBritain’s quality-assessed accommodation programme and Britain Rocks! campaign. Many of the suppliers commented on the value brought by sponsors BAA, who manage many of the airports through which international visitors arrive in Britain, and provided insights into plans for Stansted and Heathrow Terminal 5. Further information at www.destination-britain.com
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