Showcasing Britain’s regional areas will be a key challenge for VisitBritain as the country’s hosting of the Olympic Games edges closer.
While London is already known globally as an “iconic” city, the regions beyond the capital are less well-known, chairman Christopher Rodrigues told Travel Today.
The tourism agency will also attempt to avoid “displacement” of tourists by the games, a common side effect of large scale sporting events.
“Tourists may think to themselves, the Tower of London has been there for a thousand years – it’ll be there next year too,” he said.
However, the outlook so far is positive. Rodrigues reported a good first quarter buoyed by a “resilient” leisure sector and additional investment by the government for the first time in a decade.
Last year’s Royal Wedding was also driving demand for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June, he revealed.
But he admitted a drop in business travel remained a strong possibility as the games approached, with people opting to hold meetings elsewhere.
“Our forecast for the year is that if we’re flat year on year, it will be a good outcome.”
VisitBritain admits regional challenge
