VisitBritain is seeking to capitalise on the success of London 2012 by launching the next stage of its multi-million pound GREAT inbound tourism campaign.
A £13.5 million marketing push has gone live with airlines, hotels and operators offering special deals to attract overseas travellers.
New research released by the national tourism agency shows that in cities with GREAT activity – launched ahead of the London Olympics – 75% of recent travellers would now consider a holiday in Britain.
The image campaign – which is targeting 14 cities in nine countries including Brazil, the US, Germany, India and Australia – is believed to have reached more than 90 million people so far.
The latest phase includes a seven month run of print advertising in National Geographic, advertorials in Time Out and on Yahoo!.
A new TV advert, ‘Memories are GREAT’, including images from the Olympic opening ceremony, is being positioned on leading consumer websites across the world.
A partnership with British Airways will see £5 million being invested in the US, India, China, Japan and the Middle East, encouraging people to visit the UK for Christmas shopping and the January sales.
VisitBritain is working with STA Travel to promote Britain for music, culture and shopping.
A digital campaign is planned with Expedia in France, Germany and Italy, while a shopping campaign with Virgin Australia is also underway, with a mixture of digital, radio, print and trade advertising.
VisitBritain marketing director Laurence Bresh said: “The main event may be over, but the hard work begins now.
“Britain’s image and reputation around the world is riding high; this next stage of our GREAT campaign aims to convert worldwide interest into increased bookings.
“We’ve captured the world’s imagination on TV screens over the last few weeks, and now is the time to inspire them to come to Britain.”
VisitBritain’s four-year £125 million marketing campaign aims to influence an extra 4.6 million people to choose Britain for their next holiday.
If successful, this would would help inject an additional £2.3 billion to the UK economy by the end of 2015.