DRMumbai: Britain’s national tourism organisation VisitBritain recently unveiled their new marketing campaign in India called ‘I Travel For…’. On the sidelines of the first ever India – UK Createch Summit, the digital marketing campaign was officially launched at a glittering ceremony at The Taj Land’s End Mumbai hosted by VistiBritain with special guest Baroness Rona Fairhead, Minister of State for Trade and Export Promotion, UK. The evening saw attendance of over 250 delegates from the travel trade industry and about 50 UK businesses representing the healthcare, transport, technology and entertainment industries.
Tourism contributed GBP 127 billion to the UK economy last year. It is the third largest service export segment in the UK and makes up about 10 per cent of its GDP and jobs. Sally Balcombe, Chief Executive Officer, VisitBritain/Visit England said, “India is an important tourism source market for us. According to the latest official data, a record 435,000 people from India visited Britain during January to September 2017, a 32 per cent increase compared to the previous year. Visitors from India spent a whopping GBP 355 million in Britain during this period, up 7 per cent compared to 2016.”
Digital is key to VisitBritain, a digital first organisation. “Everything we do is digitally led these days,” said Balcombe. “Our new digital campaign builds on the strong growth we have seen in visits from India. By shining the spotlight on unexpected experiences and less-explored destinations, alongside Britain’s globally renowned and iconic cultural landmarks and attractions, we want to inspire even more visitors from India to book a trip.”
The first phase of VisitBritain’s campaign is rolling out for eight weeks with the screening of short films on Facebook and Instagram in India. “Our studies show that 63 per cent of Indians have used social media during their holiday to share experiences with friends and family. Indian visitors to Britain are among the most likely to share photographs and videos of their holiday online, helping spread the message that Britain is a must see destination,” Balcombe said.
