Tom Wright, visitBritain’s
Chief Executive |
“The Duke of Edinburgh and I look forward to our State Visit to the United States of America in May 2007 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown Settlement," declared Queen Elizabeth II to the British Parliament last November.
Her Majesty will be in Jamestown from May 3 to 4, preceded by three ships: Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery, the namesakes of those that set out from London’s Virginia Quay on December 19th 1607. The British claim that it was in Jamestown that the ideas of representative government, the Rule of Law, free enterprise and cultural diversity were established and formed the basis of today’s American society. And the country’s official tourist board, VisitBritain, is backing that up by throwing every promotional weapon in its modern armoury into the Jamestown celebrations. Not just the Queen, but other big cheeses, along with a huge gherkin, flying haggises and toe wrestlers, all part of a marketing recipe to get Americans back in line for newly packaged Great British attractions.
VisitBritain intends restoring tourism to the brisk days of 2000 when 1.8m American holidaymakers landed in the UK. In the five years since 9/11, that number slumped by up to 25%. Last year, international figures rebounded. There were 32 million visits in 2006 a 7% increase on 2005. That’s equivalent to an overseas visitor arriving in the UK every second of every day throughout the year. They spent over $30bn (up 8%). Both are new highs for Britain's inbound visitor economy. VisitBritain would like a far higher bounce, particularly from the USA, but there’s new competition. Although Americans are traveling more, unfortunately for the Brits, not all in the right direction.
New packaging
Admitted Tom Wright, VisitBritain’s Chief Executive,” The olde worlde attractions are no longer enough. We’re now competing with Mexico, South America, Asia and Caribbean cruising. And although the American market to Britain was up by about 6% this summer, we’re facing the challenge of over-familiarity. We rank highly on Americans’ wish list but, worryingly, they know Britain is always there, so they postpone their trip and succumb to the newer and more exotic temptations that seem more ‘now’.”
So Wright is addressing now with Wow. That’s VisitBritain’s internal code for a brand new ‘Be a Brit Different’ campaign that started in March focusing on two fronts.
“Our image in USA is strong in history, culture, tradition – thus the Jamestown campaign. But Britain has since become a unique destination because it combines its heritage with a phenomenally contemporary modern, vibrant and creative environment.”
Wright gestured out of his 10th floor office window. “Look at that panorama. The River Thames down there is a great example, flowing past the London Eye – the world’s largest observation wheel, the dynamically successful Tate Modern art gallery, the Houses of Parliament, the ‘Gherkin’ - a vast award-winning building shadowing the Tower of London – extraordinary contrast. The ancient set against some thrilling structures that didn’t even exist five years ago.
“It’s the Yin and Yang of tourism, old meets new. Americans are looking for the experiential, something deeper and that’s what we want to give them. It’s a subtle balancing act.”
It’s a counter-balancing act too as VisitBritain strives to entice more people to venture outside the capital.
“London’s one the most modern, dynamic capitals in the world,” Wright stated. “But so too are our provincial cities. If you get out to Newcastle, Liverpool, Glasgow, Cardiff, Bristol; you’ll see extraordinary modernity set against traditional cultural backdrops. Look at Liverpool – from where many pioneers set off for the new world, not just British, but Dutch, Germans and others. It’s the birthplace of The Beatles – the Cavern Club celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2007 by the way, and the city’s about to become European City of Culture in 2008. Cities like that offer experiences that tie right into American roots.”
Heritage linksThe Jamestown celebrations this spring are a major marketing vehicle for British heritage tourism. As holder of an ancient symbolic title and a leading-edge marketer Penelope, Viscountess Cobham is Deputy Chairman of VisitBritain and a prototypical then-to-now-wow figure: “Over 90m people worldwide claim British ancestry,” she observed. “Our campaign taps into last year's 300% increase in ancestral research on the internet. The UK's links with the US are particularly important if we are to continue to restore the number of American visitors. In the lead up to the Jamestown 2007 commemoration, VisitBritain forged exciting new partnerships not only with Virginia but also with www.ancestry.co.uk and with www.ancestry.com in the USA where we are working together in encouraging ancestral tourists to Britain. In conjunction with the Begin Your Adventure partnership, we have produced a special map on www.beginyouradventure.co.uk showing where all the early Jamestown settlers came from in Britain and where people can still visit many of those original ancestral homes. The map is designed to give American visitors hoping to trace their British roots, a direct way of putting flesh on their bones as it were, possibly unearthing ancestors they never even knew existed".
Gherkin with Cheese
Americans are also being invited to unearth other experiences they never knew existed, among them, Cheese Rolling, Bog Snorkelling, Gurning (grimacing contests), Toe-Wrestling, Nettle Eating, Lawn Mower Racing and Haggis Hurling. . . all part of a campaign to present the ‘flipside’ of the British story. “We want to get across just how contemporary and vibrant Britain is,” said Lady Cobham, “and that it can be different from the US expectation of the nature of individual British people, of their humor and their quirkiness.”
(http://www.cheese-rolling.co.uk; http://llanwrtyd-wells.powys.org.uk/bog.html, http://www.cumbria.uk.com/cumbria/fun/gurner.htm; toe wrestling: (http://www.otterytourism.org.uk/events.htm); http://www.istc.org/sisp/index.htm?fx=event&event_id=54808; Nettle-eating: http://www.thebottleinn.co.uk/food.html); Lawn-mower racing: http://www.blmra.co.uk/modules/content/?id=3); http://www.scottishhaggis.co.uk/haggis_hurling.htm )
Cost-offsetting
Tom Wright and his team are also wrestling with what they describe as ‘the value equation’. Visits by Americans to Mexico last year grew by 1.6m, many attracted by the country’s pricing. China has quickly become the 4th most visited country. All part of the tourist trade’s lengthening menu of ‘Soft Adventure’ vacations. Another challenger is the booming cruising industry whose all-inclusive formula appeals to many first-time travelers.
“Cost is another key issue for us,” Wright admitted.“ The pound is strong and Britain is seen as relatively expensive. So we’re enabling Americans to buy all their travel needs in advance. By pre-booking accommodation and transport in the US they can save well over half the price. We’re also selling such products as The Great British Heritage Pass giving advantageous access to over 600 properties and heritage attractions. (www.visitbritaindirect.com/en-us)”
There’s a lot at stake for Tom Wright. Tourist income represents about 3.4% of the British economy. So far, the signals bode fair. The country is still the world’s 6th biggest tourist destination. From January to September 2006, 24.5m international visitors arrived and spent £11.6 billion ($20m approx). Both are new records for international visits.
VisitBritain has already started warming up for the 2012 London Olympics. “I was at the Chicago Motivation Conference recently. There was huge interest there in building big events like world conferences, incentive trips and the like, around our Olympics,” said Wright. “Winning the games against cities like New York, Paris and Madrid illustrated Britain’s 21st century credentials. How many tourist destinations do you know that can claim those assets along with historically rich and relevant events like Jamestown?”
www.visitbritain.com
