UK tourism suppliers are set to show top buyers from across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Asia why Britain is the destination to visit now, as VisitBritain gears up to host its ‘Destination Britain Middle East and Asia’ trade mission in India.
Taking place from November 20 to 22 in Bengaluru, India, the three-day trade event sees dozens of UK tourism industry suppliers from across the nations and regions meet to do business with more than 70 top buyers from China, the GCC, Japan, India and South Korea.
Hundreds of pre-scheduled one-to-one business meetings are taking place, alongside networking events and seminars from destinations across Britain, showcasing the latest products and experiences on offer. International buyers will have the opportunity to learn about Britain’s premier export-ready tourism products and its competitive visitor offer, broadening travel itineraries to drive visitor spending into regional economies.
Tourism Minister Sir Chris Bryant said: “We are determined for the UK to become the best country in the world to visit, and attract more inward investment. This trade mission to India is our latest move to boost business and trade for the UK’s visitor economy.
“Whether it’s castles in Wales or stately homes in England, thrilling football matches in Manchester or dazzling live music gigs in Liverpool, there are so many reasons to visit and invest in the UK.”
VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates, who is leading the trade mission to India, said: “This major trade mission brings our very important and highly valuable GCC and Asia markets together with UK suppliers to do business, shining the spotlight on the fantastic products and experiences on offer and making sure those are sold in international markets.
“Building product and destination knowledge also broadens travel itineraries so visitors explore more, including through our regional gateways, spreading the benefits of visitor spending across our nations and regions.
“The size of our delegation shows the enthusiasm from UK tourism suppliers to do business across these markets and to hear first-hand from buyers on the motivations and trends driving outbound travel. We are looking forward to showcasing our warm welcome as well as all the great reasons to book a trip right now.”
UK suppliers joining the trade mission include hotels, visitor attractions, transport providers, retailers, tour and sightseeing operators spanning the length-and-breadth of the nations and regions.
Visit Wales and destinations including Cumbria Tourism, Marketing Manchester, NewcastleGateshead Initiative, Visit West and West Midlands Growth Company are also attending, highlighting products and experiences available across their respective regions.
VisitBritain’s teams in market will also be running seminars to support UK tourism suppliers to engage and do business with trade from across China, the Gulf, India, Japan and South Korea, providing insights on market and consumer trends.
The trade mission comes as VisitBritain gets set to roll out its international ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign. Launching early 2025, the campaign will use the powerful draw of film and tv locations and places seen-on-screen to inspire visitors to discover more of Britain. VisitBritain’s latest research shows that among those visitors considering a trip to the UK, nine out of ten surveyed across 20 markets would be interested in visiting a film or tv location.
Spending by visitors from China, the GCC, Japan, India and South Korea, when combined, is forecast to be worth £5.6 billion this year to the UK economy, with an average visitor spend from these markets of £1,836 per visit, more than double the all-market average spend of £819, VisitBritain said.
