Venturing further afield: Australians, New Zealanders and the Dutch are said to be the most adventurous tourists when they visit the UK
which Brits do nothing to dispel, that the weather is terrible. We have the perfect climate for sightseeing: it’s never too hot, never too cold. Winters are far less cold than Scandinavia, Russia or Canada. London is drier than Rome and warmer than Paris in the winter and the east coast gets relatively little rainfall. Given that our strengths are culture and heritage, we're much more of a shopping, sight- seeing and activity destination.” Inbound tourism is currently Britain’s third largest earner of for- eign exchange. In 2010, inbound and domestic tourism contributed £115bn to the economy, with 30 million over- seas visitors spending £17bn. With the government wanting to “rebal- ance” the economy and move away from its reliance on financial services and London, then tourism could be set for a stronger focus from Whitehall. Dawe stresses it's a great option for
a career: virtually no barriers to entry and anyone who's good can progress through the ranks. It’s also a great industry for entrepreneurs, she says.
ISSUE 1 2012 © cybertrek 2011
VISITBRITAIN FACTS
VisitBritain is Britain's national tourism agency, responsible for marketing Britain worldwide and developing Britain’s visitor economy. It's a non-departmental public body, funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. VisitBritain is currently undertaking a £100m marketing programme, £50m of which is match-funded by the industry in cash and in kind. A further £27m injection announced in November 2011 will fund a major image campaign
Dawe joined the industry by chance, after first working in PR and communi- cations before moving to the ETB. “I got a job in tourism when it was really growing, so I’ve seen the most amaz- ing growth, evolution and improvement of product. It leads you to a knowl- edge and appreciation of your own country…but not through rose-tinted glasses, because you know what the competition has to offer," she says.
to inspire more visitors to travel to Britain throughout 2012 and beyond.
The organisation operates in
21 overseas markets: n Americas: Brazil, Canada, USA. n Europe: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland. n Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa: Australia, China, India, Japan, UAE.
“Working at a national agency you tend to be at the heart of big national events and I find that very exciting." Exciting times lie ahead for UK tour- ism: a flood of new visitors, a chance to showcase our wares to the world and growing government recognition. We just need to remember: be friendly and don't moan about the weather. l
Kath Hudson is a freelance journalist Read Leisure Management online
leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital 31
JOHNBRAID /
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
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