Now is the time to wave the British flag, says VisitBritain’s Mark Di-Toro

I’ve been promoting the UK to a global media audience for a few years now, but for the last year or so when I’ve told people I work for VisitBritain, the usual response has always been “oh VisitBritain aye … big year for you guys”.

So it’s a ‘no-brainer’ isn’t it? If the layman knows through simple common sense that this is the time to promote Britain, that this is the time to put all our efforts into global campaigns and inspire the world to holiday here, then surely that is what we should be doing?

Well we are, very much so in fact. Last year we launched the £100 million GREAT Britain You’re Invited campaign – the largest ever by a national tourist board. This was primarily fronted with five major global celebrities who agreed to film TV ads and help promote Britain overseas. The initial tactical launch was followed shortly by an extra £25 million global advertising campaign which included Britain branded taxis in Mumbai and Delhi, TV ads shown in cinemas and TV screens across the world and New York’s Central Station being taken over with GREAT branding, launched by Victoria Beckham herself.

In China, for example we will reach over 15 million potential visitors through a combination of magazines, subway and station ads. From New York to Tokyo to Shanghai to Mumbai, a concerted advertising campaign is taking place in 14 major cities in nine key countries, reaching an audience of 135 million people globally.

Okay, so that’s the corporate spiel out the way, I guess what this blog needs to do now is make you understand why it is so important to promote the UK and support inbound tourism. You don’t need me to tell you (oh okay, I will anyway) that we are riding on the wave of a recent Royal Wedding, we’ve got the Diamond Jubilee coming up and then of course the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. We couldn’t have asked for three larger global events to exploit and showcase each and every part of the country – not only in 2012, but beyond.

The Cultural Olympiad and The Torch Relay will go some way in doing this, but I’m working particularly hard with international broadcasters around the world to get them to come over here, visit and film parts of Britain which can be showcased globally and act as a spokesperson if they want a decent corporate line in a news piece. I’m in the privileged position to be working out of the accredited media centre on the Olympic Park and the London Media Centre (One Great George Street) during the Games where I’ll be right in the middle of the action incessantly briefing print and broadcast journalists making sure our content is high on the news agenda.

Drawing this to a close, I’ll tell you a bit about Britain’s fifth largest industry. Did you know that tourism is our third highest foreign exchange earner, supports 2.6 million jobs, and contributes a massive £115 billion to the UK economy each year? The industry itself is set to grow over the next ten years and overtake established sectors such as manufacturing and retail. The GREAT campaign will be a key driver for tourism growth, and what better media hook than the huge events coming up this year?

The work doesn’t stop in 2012 – in fact that is when it really begins. The positive PR generated will help create a legacy for British tourism which will last for many years to come. A global audience of billions will have their eyes firmly set on Britain like never before and we will do all we can to capitalise on this interest by converting it into visits.

Follow @MarkDiToro to keep in touch with the campaign and to get the latest tourism news and key Britain stats.