VisitBritain’s latest forecast shows that the UK is set to welcome 3.6 million visits from France in 2024, with those visitors forecast to spend £1.9 billion on their trips.
As global attention turns to France for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, VisitBritain is seizing the opportunity to promote Britain as a visitor destination, rolling out its latest campaign across France to drive growth.
The latest phase of its GREAT Britain marketing campaign in France, called ‘Audacious Kingdom’, invites visitors to come and ‘See Things Differently’ on the most audacious holiday ever, showcasing Britain as a welcoming, diverse and dynamic destination waiting to surprise visitors.
“Alfie”, a computer-generated English concierge, spills the tea on the best spots for an exciting and fun-filled holiday in Britain. Alfie shares ‘in the know’ holiday tips for exciting outdoor adventures, innovative food spots and vibrant cultural experiences, showing Britain’s contemporary offer for visitors to come and discover right now.
VisitBritain Country Manager France & Benelux Severine Tharreau said:
“France is a very important inbound visitor market for the UK. Our latest campaign harnesses the excitement of the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris to show French visitors that Britain is filled with sporty, outdoor adventures to come and enjoy now, alongside highlighting our culinary and cultural offer.
“From surfing our wild coastlines to exploring our bustling cities packed with foodie experiences, we’re showing French visitors there are audacious experiences to discover in Britain as well as promoting our warm British welcome.”
The multi-media marketing campaign is using a mix of channels including social media and digital TV. Digital advertising includes electronic billboards in Gare du Nord, Paris, with Alfie appearing as a 3D figure giving audacious holiday tips.
Campaign content is driving online traffic to a dedicated French website with ideas and activities, visitor attractions and experiences using #lovegreatbritain, inspiring visitors to discover more, travel further and stay longer. VisitBritain is working with TripAdvisor in France to convert the interest into immediate bookings.
VisitBritain recently hosted six French influencers on a four-day trip to Britain putting a spotlight on sporty and outdoors experiences. Earlier in June, Olympic medallist Desirèe Henry welcomed the group to London’s Olympic Park before they headed off on adventures across Britain. From mountain biking in Northumberland, archery by Loch Lomond in Scotland to coasteering in North Wales, the group documented their exciting challenges on social media encouraging visitors to explore more of Britain.
As part of its GREAT Britain marketing campaign to drive visits, VisitBritain worked with Marketing Liverpool to promote Britain’s food, drink and cultural offer at the International Bordeaux Wine Festival, with Liverpool the official guest city of the festival. Events included a showcase of musical talent from Liverpool, top British chefs and a reception with French travel trade and media aboard one of the festival’s famous tall ships.
Source: VisitBritain
We voted for BREXIT because we did not want foreigners coming over here which provided the solution to the problem of the horror of hearing foreign languages (which includes French) being spoken especially on public transport. So why is not possible to keep these 3.6 million foreigners from France out of the country and just get them to leave their money at Calais for HMRC to scoop up and balance the budget?