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VisitBritain and BBC StoryWorks to launch commercial films in North America

Focusing on London, Manchester, Scotland and Wales, the films each feature a well-known local personality.

Travellers in North America will be inspired to visit and explore regional Britain with the release of four short commercial films by VisitBritain and BBC StoryWorks.

The four two-minute documentary-style films, created by BBC StoryWorks, BBC Advertising’s commercial content production arm, challenge the perceptions of traditional Britain, offering a modern take on the stunning landscapes, fashion, culture and history, and will air on BBC's commercial, international news channel, BBC World News, to an American audience between October 2017 to March 2018.

Focusing on London, Manchester, Scotland and Wales, the films each feature a well-known local personality; science and technology reporter Dr Shini Somara, illustrator Stanley Chow, fashion designer Siobhan Mackenzie and TV presenter Gethin Jones. The ‘local heroes’ talk about how their British roots have inspired them, with the films highlighting and showcasing some of the experiences to be found in each region.

VisitBritain Commercial Director Carol Dray said: “These films will inspire American visitors to book a trip right now for experiences they can only get in Britain, from seeing the Meridian Line in Greenwich to drawing inspiration at a coffee shop in Manchester, from discovering the history of Caernarforn Castle in Wales to dolphin spotting at Chanory Point in the Scottish Highlands.”

VP Western Europe, BBC Advertising, Guy Hughes-Wilson said: "We are enormously proud of our partnership with VisitBritain, and of these four new films we have created. Each person featured in the films is passionate about where they are from, and that really brings these beautifully made mini documentary-style films to life.”

The partnership is funded jointly by the UK Government’s global GREAT campaign, which showcases what Britain has to offer as a place to visit, study and do business, and the local destination management organisations, London & Partners, Marketing Manchester, VisitScotland and Visit Wales.

The US is Britain’s most valuable inbound visitor market and also one of its largest. Latest figures from VisitBritain show that there were 1.9 million visits from the US to the UK in the first six months of this year, a 31% increase on the period last year. Visitors from the US spent £1.8 billion between January and June this year, a 28% increase on the same period last year. 

Last year was a record-breaker for inbound tourism to the UK, with 37.6 million overseas visits, up 4% on 2015, and spending of £22.5 billion, up 2% on 2015. 

Tourism is worth £127 billion to the UK economy, creating jobs and boosting economic growth across its nations and regions. 

Winners of the VisitEngland 2017 ROSE Award announced
VisitEngland announces the winners of the third annual ROSE Awards at the Independent Hotel Show in London.

The awards showcase outstanding accommodation providers across the country from Penzance to Penrith and from Skegness to Great Ayton. The winners were nominated by VisitEngland quality scheme assessors and selected from assessor comments and online feedback from overseas and domestic visitors. Recipients of the awards cover all types of accommodation and include Bed & Breakfasts (B&B)/guesthouses, self-catering and hotels to park/campsites, glamping sites and hostels and also cover a range of quality from two to five stars. 

VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said: “It’s great to see the diversity and quality of accommodation available across the country with each of these winners demonstrating outstanding customer service. And it’s this level of commitment to ensuring visitors have the best experience combined with the amazing range of settings and attractions that have domestic and international visitors out exploring and spreading the economic benefits of tourism throughout the country.” 

The ROSE Awards celebrate the teams and owners whose efforts surpass expectations and the recipients can advertise their accolade as long as they remain in VisitEngland’s scheme.

Co-Founder & Managing Director - Travel Media Applications | Website | + Posts

Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.

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