Summary
New research released today by VisitBritain, the national tourism agency, suggests that we Brits are embracing the buzz around city break destinations.
New research released today (24 September) by VisitBritain, the national tourism agency, suggests that we Brits are embracing the buzz around city break destinations - eight out of the top ten most visited destinations in England are cities. The number of overnight visits made to the eight cities in 2006 was more than 22.8 million, demonstrating vibrant city breaks on your own doorstep are of huge appeal to domestic tourists.
To capitalise on and further encourage this popularity, the Enjoy England team at VisitBritain today launches a new campaign to inspire Brits to visit city break destinations. City Breaks offers Britons a wealth of reasons to visit 36 cities the length and breadth of England via a dedicated website www.enjoyengland.com/citybreaks.
London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool and York are the most visited English cities and all feature on the City Breaks website. The campaign aims to encourage visitors to get more from what is on their doorstep, discover ‘hidden gems’ within city destinations and give a wealth of information and advice on how to get the most from a visit.
Information on the website is broken down into 9 handy categories – each containing relevant city holiday ideas. These range from ‘Arts and Culture’, ‘Food’ and ‘Shopping’ through to ‘Music’, ‘Romance’ and ‘Fun with Friends’ – aiming to enthuse and inspire with lots of great ideas. Visitors to the site can also link through to enjoyenglanddirect.com, the Enjoy England online shop offering deals on tickets to attractions, city tours, maps and more.
Laurence Bresh, England Marketing General Manager said:
“The new City Breaks campaign aims to remind domestic visitors of the range of city based holidays available in England and also inspire consumers about experiences they may never have considered. England’s cities offer contemporary architecture and attractions standing cheek by jowl alongside centuries of heritage. From Zorbing in Bristol to a spa break in Chester, jewellery making in Birmingham to a musical tour of Liverpool, England’s cities offer something for every age or taste.”
The campaign will be complimented by a 52 page Guardian supplement on 29 September, showcasing the cities involved in the campaign and driving people to the City Breaks website. City Breaks will be promoted using press advertising, direct mail, editorial in national newspaper supplements, PR and editorial promotions, viral and online marketing, field marketing and events.
The campaign follows the successful City Culture campaigns run in the past two years, where 97% of website visitors said they had been encouraged to visit different parts of England then they had previously considered.
1 London 10,959,000
2 Manchester 2,490,000
3 Birmingham 2,287,000
4 Bristol 1,825,000
5 Blackpool 1,787,000
6 Leeds 1,436,000
7 Scarborough 1,383,000
8 Newcastle upon Tyne 1,298,000
9 Liverpool 1,257,000
10 York 1,247,000
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For further information, please contact:
Sian Brenchley, Corporate Press Officer, VisitBritain on 020 8563 3220 or 07971 497047
Elliott Frisby, Corporate PR Manager, VisitBritain on 020 8563 3035 or 07951 996241
Notes to Editors
· VisitBritain is responsible for promoting Britain as a world class tourist destination and for developing England’s visitor economy. It has representatives in 36 countries around the world and, in the last three years, has expanded into China, throughout Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, and increased its presence in India with representatives in Bangalore and Mumbai.
· In 2006, provisional data indicates that there were 32.2 million visits to Britain, 7% up on 2005. They spent £15.4 billion in the UK: an 8% increase on 2005.
· VisitBritain’s international website, www.visitbritain.com, was awarded World’s Leading Tourism Authority Internet Site for the third year in a row at the 2006 World Travel Awards by more than 200,000 travel and tourism professionals. With information provided in 26 different languages, every year over 12 million visits are made by international consumers to the 46 websites that make up visitbritain.com. VisitBritain plans to increase this to 25 million by 2009.
· An archive of media releases, information on VisitBritain's marketing activities, print quality, free-to-download images and more details about the work of VisitBritain in promoting Britain as a destination, can be found on VisitBritain’s online press centre, www.visitbritain.com/presscentre