Claire Parrish, Cathy Stapells & Lynda Falcone of VisitBritain
Lights, camera, action!
VisitBritain's Karen Clarkson with Karin Micheelsen of Trafalgar
A mouth-watering British cupcake
It’s no surprise that the Brits exceed in clever marketing – so clever of them to garner industry attention by showcasing a host of updates from Jolly Olde via a taping of the Sounds of Britain TV show debut in front of a live audience of industry types.
The taping, held last week in Mississauga, featured Karen Clarkson, Vice President of Visit Britain, being interviewed about new events and developments for 2014, as well as video appearances by some VisitBritain illuminaries including Sandie Dawe, CEO.
As Dawe pointed out, 2013 was a fantastic year with foreign visitors spending an unprecedented £20 billion (about CAD37 billion) on presumably more than Olympic knick-knacks.
Big events this year include the Commonwealth Games, to be held in Glasgow this summer. And, this year is also the big Homecoming in Scotland, when visitors of Scottish descent – or just those who wish they were – are warmly welcomed back. For literary types, 2014 also marks the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth (count the candles!) and 100th anniversary of the birth of legendary Welsh poet Dylan Thomas.
Agents are certainly an important part of Visit Britain’s marketing efforts, including retail opportunities at www.visitbritainshop.ca and the opportunity to download quality images free of charge for agency or personal websites. VisitBritain has also enhanced its website to include a “Love Wall” which allows consumers to build up a touring wishlist with a huge range of images and linked information (picture Pinterest with a British accent).
And – breaking news – the organization has also just unveiled a new USD4.6 million television and online ad featuring the sounds of Britain from the pouring of a nice cuppa to the “tok” of tennis balls at Wimbledon. Hear and see it here! Clearly the Brits are not ones to rest on their tourism laurels!
