FORMER Millennium Dome boss P-Y Gerbeau has dismissed
Britain’s new UKOK marketing campaign as too little, too late in front of an
audience of top tourism officials.
Speaking at the British Incoming Tour Operators’
Association conference in Manchester yesterday, Gerbeau said the £5 million
overseas push didn’t go far enough to reverse the decline in UK visitors caused
by foot and mouth and the September 11 terrorist outrages.
Gerbeau said: “If the UK wants to attract foreign visitors,
it must use prominent foreigners as its ambassadors.
“Famous people who live in this country, Madonna for
instance, should be asked to return to their own countries and promote the UK.”
Gerbeau – who made the Dome the UK’s most popular
visitor attraction – said Britain should concentrate more on its position as a
centre for fashion, music and trends, with a controversial set of ads that
would be more memorable.
“We need to get everyone round the table and have a
more eye-catching campaign. The Government
is not doing enough,” he said.
BITOA chief executive Richard Tobias insisted UKOK
would work and said Gerbeau should give the promotional effort time to take
effect.
“Nearly 25 years ago a bunch of people in New York
came up with the ‘I love New York’ slogan and they had criticism,” said Tobias.
“That slogan is now recognised the world over so UKOK
must be given time. There are other ideas in the pipeline and tourism minister
Kim Howells thinks there may be more money from the Treasury.”
Howells told delegates at the convention that the
Government was planning more initiatives for tourism, especially giving England
back the right to market itself.
However, he echoed Gerbeau’s
belief that the industry must market itself better, sharpen up the use of the
data it collects from overseas visitors and provide a unified voice for tourism
in the UK.