Our history

1969

The British Tourist Authority (BTA) is born. Before that, British tourism was promoted under the British Travel and Holidays Association, which itself started off life in 1929 as the Travel Association of Great Britain and Ireland. The Association ran perhaps what was one of the longest running campaigns going, Come to Britain, spanning 50 years.

• The Development of Tourism Act 1969 gets Royal Assent and BTA is set up, along with national boards for England, Scotland and Wales.
• Marketing activities focus on Britain’s people, language and its ‘intriguing blend of history and achievements’.
• Britain is marketed as a country for all seasons, boasting ‘antique hunting in quiet Cotswold villages’ to ‘skiing in Scotland’s Cairngorms, climbing or pony-trekking in Wales’.
• Press and advertising takes off in 22 countries, supported by BTA’s 24 overseas offices. Promotion hinges on traditional and new hobbies too such as motoring, young people’s interests, and business and conference visits.

1970

• There is a 16% increase in overseas visitors coming to the UK – that’s around 6.7 million people.
• A Holidays in Britain brochure produces more than 1 million copies in 12 languages. BTA starts to promote off-peak travel. It runs to 17 editions in 10 languages, with around 311,000 copies sent out.

1971

• The Foretaste of Britain ‘71 is held alongside chef, Egon Ronay to promote Britain’s world-class hotels. Fifty food and travel writers and gastronomes from 15 countries attend a four-day event in November. It’s a success, with some 500 articles lavishing praise on British hotels and restaurants, and in turn bringing thousands of pounds’ worth of publicity for the Come to Britain campaign.
• Films and music campaigns are big in 1971, such as The Song of Britain film, The Welcome Inn and Cotswold Journey, produced alongside the British Leyland Motor Corporation. 
• BTA’s short film on London, A City for All Seasons, wins first place in the Gold Camera Awards at the US Industrial Film Festival in Chicago, and a Bronze at the Atlanta International Film Festival. 
• Some 46 educational tours take place for travel agents from 21 countries including the US, Mexico, Australia, Argentina and European countries.

1972 

• The first centrally-coordinated world-advertising campaign: Britain – a Treasure House of History is held in 21 different markets.
• The Taste of Scotland campaign launches alongside the Scottish Tourist Board and the British Airports Authority, aimed at North American and European markets. 
• The first Welsh joint overseas promotion for Tenby happens in the Netherlands and Belgium.
• We produce more than 1,780 tapes to be sent overseas, with broadcast for stations around the world.
• We make three films: Splendours of Britain Ltd; Gardens of Britain and Windows on the Past, highlighting Britain’s museums.
• The Song of Britain film wins the Gold Camera Award at the US Industrial Film Festival, Chicago.
• BTA produces and distributes books on Britain which include maps and itineraries, amounting to some 19.3 million pieces of literature, internationally.

1973

• Britain joins the European Economic Community on January 1. We help plan and promote the Fanfare for Europe celebrations. A London Bus tours 23 cities in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland reaching 43,000 people, resulting in 8,000 enquiries.
• The Oil Crisis leads to The Reassurance Campaign assuring visitors of a warm welcome in Britain as a value-for-money place to visit.

1974

• BTA works in partnership with the national tourist boards for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and bodies such as the Countryside Commission and Sports Council to support the upcoming European Architectural Heritage Year 1975. 
• The Reassurance Campaign continues in Canada in partnership with British Airways, British Caledonian and British Rail as well as hotel groups and includes adverts in the Canadian press to ‘illustrate the normality of day to day activities in Britain’. It’s later repeated in Germany, Holland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
• Fifty-two joint overseas promotions are held including one with the Corporation of Aberdeen to bring the International Festival of Youth Orchestras to Aberdeen, with invitation to make a permanent home there.

1975

• A joint campaign with British Airways, British Rail, British Transport Hotels, Trust House Forte and Avis runs to emphasise Britain’s value-for-money to US visitors. 
• European campaigns focus on spring and summer travel to lesser-known parts of Britain, and short-stay visits in the autumn and winter, especially to London. 
• Publicity events feature London’s famous Pearly Kings and Queens, the Loch Ness Monster and medieval performers. 

1976

• BTA’s promotions budget exceeds £1 million for the first time, resulting in more than 60 campaigns held throughout the year in 47 in European markets. 
• Two European markets run advertising for the first time in four years: Austria and Finland, involving Thomson Thoresen and Sealink in Austria, and British Airways, Tor Line and Silja in Finland.

 1977 

• The Royal Silver Jubilee sees lots of events unfold for BTA’s overseas promotions. Our Operation Friendship campaign invites thousands of people around the world who have served in Britain, either in a military or civilian capacity, to make a return pilgrimage here during the Silver Jubilee. Invitees receive vouchers offering savings on food and accommodation. Overseas promotions include a tour by ‘Forces’ Sweetheart’ Dame Vera Lynn in Canada and US giving it ‘unprecedented coverage’ for Britain across the States.
• A North American workshop attracts 53 producers who met almost 200 US tour operators in LA and New York.
• The Youth Travel Workshop in Edinburgh attracts a record number of suppliers who meet overseas buyers from 31 countries. Workshops also held in Rome and Amsterdam. 
• BTA’s Come to Britain campaign promotes UK regions in newspapers. 

1978  

• The first British Travel Centre opens in Frankfurt, as a partnership between BTA, British Rail and British Airways, as a one-stop shop for visitors.
• BTA takes on overseas marketing services for the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, the Isle of Man Tourist Board, the States of Jersey Tourism Committee and the States of Guernsey Tourist Committee. 
• We produce a map of London hotels showcasing its huge stock of bookable rooms. This is a response to a press comment claiming London is ‘full’ over summer. The map goes down well in the States.

1979 

• BTA increases its programme of partnering with non-tourism brands with its Come to Britain on-pack promotion with Kellogg’s. It results in thousands of enquiries from Germany. 

1980

• World Travel Market for the first time at London’s Olympia.
• BTA raises funding from joint ventures with trade, local authorities and regions – a first as the source of half of its total marketing spend. 

1981

• BTA sets up a small office in Singapore to strengthen ties and grow markets with the Middle East and the Far East.
• BTA initiates action with trade support to improve travel opportunities for disabled people as part of the 1981 International Year of Disabled People.
• A new office opens in Vienna.
• Campaigns focus on off-peak travel from nearby European countries, focusing on activities such as motoring holidays in the south of England, East Anglia, the north of England and Scotland. A total of 116 different adverts are run in 28 countries and four multi-market areas: Middle East, Far East, North and West Africa, Central and South America. A separate campaign is run in BTA’s new market: Taiwan.
• Campaign, London is… Free for Children, is run in Denmark with ferry network Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab (DFDS) offering a free place for a child with each paying adult, to visit the UK. It also includes free entry to 24 attractions. The campaign results in 3,500 children, along with 4,000 fare-paying adults, visiting the UK.

1982

• Of BTA’s total promotional spend overseas, half now comes from trade or revenue earned by the Authority through promotional and publishing services.
• In November, BTA organises the Women and Tourism conference which demonstrates new opportunities for exchange visits through its Meet the British schemes. These reach young people in language schools and introduce visitors to local communities.
• British Spa towns become a focus alongside the Spas Committee.

1983

• Britain receives more than two million visitors from the US who spend a record £784 million – thanks to the most successful year of the Come to Britain campaign. Vigorous marketing and the strength of the dollar against the pound contributes to this American success story.
• Plans are put into place to introduce computerised information services on a global scale.
• Event, Heritage 84, develops with trade as a theme for overseas promotion. It encompasses anniversaries, events, festivals, ceremonies, cultural activities and Christian heritage. 

1984

• This is the most successful year ever for the Come to Britain campaign, breaking every record with almost 14 million overseas visitors (up 10% on year before) coming to Britain and spending £5.3 million. Britain is earning more from visitor spend than some of the top tourism spots including Mexico, Austria, Switzerland and Germany. It’s also running about level with others such as France and Italy. US visitors to the UK contribute a good chunk of this growth as their spend rises by 31% on the year before, establishing it as a ‘billion-pound market in its own right’.
• This year also sees, for the first time, more British people holidaying on home soil, with 41 million taking a domestic trip of four nights or more in the UK and spending £3,800 (up 1% on a previous year). The number of Britons on business travel also increased. 
• BTA’s Strategy and Growth 1984 to 1988 is published to help tourism planning and marketing by local authorities and the industry.
• Heritage 84, BTA’s biggest multi-stranded international promotion to date launches to the industry. It’s designed to stimulate packages, exhibitions, trails and events and to build on Britain’s ever-popular heritage appeal. 

1985

• By January much of BTA and English Tourism Board’s re-organisation is complete and a new joint head office is created, located at Thames Tower in Hammersmith.
• Heritage 85 takes place with the participation of the Treasure Houses of Britain exhibition in Washington DC.
• A new campaign brands Britain for All Seasons (nicknamed Operation Off-Peak) launched in early 1985, and encompasses literature, advertising and public relations. 

1986

• Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher opens the new British Travel Centre in London, this time a partnership between BTA, British Rail and American Express.
• US visitor numbers drop in early 1986, this recovers by the end of the year. In fact, 1986 becomes the second-best year for British tourism up to now.
• The role of tourism as a key jobs’ provider is recognised by the government through its launch of Action for Jobs in Tourism, which gets lots of our support.
• The launch of all-weather leisure facilities such as Centre Parcs contributes to Britain’s growing image as a year-round destination.
• BTA organises the ACCESS UK conference, alongside phone company, British Telecom. BTA also produces four home video cassettes to meet the trend. 
• BTA continues to co-sponsor the leading travel trade event, the World Travel Market at Olympia London, attracting more than 35,800 trade visitors, up 31% on the previous year. 

1987

• A new BTA initiative: BRAVO, a technology action group gets trade backing and presents plans for a travel industry-owned commercial company that uses tech to link reservation sales systems used by travel agents around the world to British products online.
• Marketing activities focus on restoring visitor numbers from the US, increasing visits from Europe, pioneering new markets and segments and expanding business travel in Northern Europe.
• Joint marketing partners include Burberry, Blue Arrow Employment Agency and Jaguar to help promote Britain abroad. 

1988

• The English Tourist Board’s first-ever tourism awards, the England for Excellence Awards launch, the ceremony is 16 November 1988, held at the Park Lane Hilton, London.
• A record number of visitors come from Germany thanks to new routes being opened in Northern Europe. Four travel trade markets are held in four German cities, attracting 20,000 visitors. 
• In the Netherlands, a Discovering Britain advertising campaign involves five major ferry companies. 

1989

• A major new campaign aimed at Japanese women launches: Ladies Britain to encourage more women travellers from Japan. A long-term strategy is to promote Britain’s ‘softer and more feminine’ side as part of the larger Britain Welcomes Japan campaign.
• Business travel grows from India with twice-weekly Boeing 757 services from London run by Royal Nepal Airlines. Eight trade partners join a BTA mission to Madras, Bombay and Delhi. Six trade partners visit Pakistan, and six Pakistani agents also visit the UK.

1990

• Joint promotions this year include a venture with B&B GB and the Farm Holiday Bureau which introduces 135-member farmhouses into a central booking system. Cultural promotions run with the British Arts Festivals Association and the Society of West End Theatre. 
• We work with British Rail International to produce Discover Britain in six languages and a with a total print run of 1.4 million copies.
• More than 400 British suppliers take part in British Tourist Authority (BTA) workshops in Edinburgh, London and Bath, with around 1,000 overseas buyers. 

1991

• BTA’s first TV advertising campaign breaks in France backed by all six cross-channel sea carriers and aimed at independent French motoring visitors.
• BTA celebrates 25 years in Japan and takes the lead in opening an office in Osaka in recognition of the growing value of the Kansai region to international travel.

1992

• In February 1992 Destination Britain, the first full-scale tourism workshop is held overseas in Ostend, Belgium. European and long-haul buyers are come to meet British suppliers and take part in fam’ trips.
• A new BTA travel centre opens in Stockholm to give visitors a chance to plan itineraries, buy travel and entertainment tickets and book accommodation. 
• BTA wins nine awards around the world, including USA, Australia, France and Germany, for its marketing efforts over the year. 

1993

• BTA supports a campaign to keep London buses red after plans were put in place to privatise LDN buses. Losing the red colour would deprive the capital of one of its most pertinent symbols and marketing tools.

1994

• A 24-hour fax back service launches in Japan, where people can ask for information on Britain to be sent by fax. BTA also releases the Mook, a magazine guide for Japanese visitors.
• Our activities are responsible for around £750 million or 7.5 per cent of the total inbound tourism spend. For every £1 of public money invested in the BTA, £23 is generated for the British economy.
• We support a campaign to change Sunday Trade Law in order to allow large shops to open for six hours on a Sunday.
• The US commemorates the 50th anniversary D-Day campaign to encourage Second World War veterans to commemorate here in Britain.
• Our research segmentation [research on specific groups of customers] of USA visitors includes the Britophile – a repeat visitor who knows a lot about Britain and likes to stay in bed and breakfast accommodation. 

1995

• We begin to look more at market segmentation. We find out what appeals to them and how to deliver it, for example: what appeals to Dutch motorcycling enthusiasts and US theatregoers?
• A new toll-free number comes to the US and provides information about travel to Britain including weather, accommodation and theatre, and gets 540,000 calls a month.
• BTA will only promote accommodation that subscribes to nationally agreed quality standards.

1996

• BTA’s new website, Visitbritain.com launches with plans to tailor the site to local markets in the USA, Asia and Europe.
• BTA encourages Value Added Tax (VAT) to be slashed from its current 17.5% to 8%. This move expects to attract 10 million extra visitors in four years (by 2000).

1997

• In September, BTA’s new tourism marque is unveiled by Secretary of State for Culture, Chris Smith.
• Comedy character Mr Bean promotes Britain to German visitors with Have you Bean to Britain? peel off stickers allowing visitors to order information packs about Britain.
• The ‘brash, bright and abrasive magazine’ UK 99 The Guide, aimed at under 25-year-olds, is distributed to BTA offices. Around 40,000 copies worldwide are produced. Sponsored by National Express, the magazine tells readers: ‘If you’re looking for nothing more from your visit to Britain than the Changing of the Guard and Westminster Abbey you’re probably on the wrong side of 40’.

1998

• Britain Now is a three-year marketing campaign in the lead up to the millennium. Its brochure features 15 separate routes that overseas visitors can follow to experience 2,000 years of British history.
• Around 50 ‘millennium Britain’ events are held in 27 overseas markets.
• Visitbritain’s website wins the International ENTER Award for Best National Tourist Office site. It also wins Best Official Website of all 29 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. 

1999

• During this year BTA focuses marketing efforts on six global segments: Youth, Families, DINKS (Double Income, No Kids), Empty Nesters, Seniors and Business Tourism.
• With the millennium ahead, BTA runs a Britain: Now Is The Time campaign, capitalising on £5 billion National Lottery investment into Britain’s cultural and environmental heritage. 
• The English Tourism Council (ETC) is established.  

2000

• A global youth campaign launches in February to attract more 17-to-25-year olds to Britain around website uktheguide.com.
• As part of the campaign, BTA Ireland invites five of Britain’s coolest DJs to take part in a tour of Britain: Right Here, Right Now running across Ireland’s six largest student campuses and student unions, along with ads on youth radio stations. More than 100,000 postcards are distributed in cafes, bars and campuses.
• A special Britain supplement is produced for the Spring 2000 issue of Student Traveller, sent to more than 85 campuses across Canada.
• Apart from youth, other campaigns target key segments of families such as the Family Britain campaign; Double Income No Kids (DINKS) (via film tourism promotion); Empty Nesters (Jewels of Britain campaigns focusing on premium hotels) and Seniors (Walking Britain campaign).
• BTA’s new industry website visitbritain.com/ukindustry launches to provide information for tourism professionals, while the consumer site visitbritain.com is given a makeover. Meanwhile, visitbritain.com wins Best Website in the Observer Travel Awards in July.

2001

• In February, the first cases of foot and mouth disease are discovered. BTA’s immediate action group (IAG) meets daily to help co-ordinate activity and show Britain is still a safe to visit.
• A three-year plan to expand the cruise industry is developed. The Cruise UK plans introduce new destinations and attractions near ports of call, developing broader itineraries around Britain and attracting new cruise lines.
• In November, BTA launches the Britain is Magical campaign to coincide with the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. BTA’s special 1-800-HEDWIG hotline is besieged by American and Canadian Potter fans interested in Britain.
• VisitBritain.com is named Best National Tourist Office Website in the Travel Weekly Asia Golden Web Awards in March.
• BTA becomes the world’s first National Tourist Office to open an Arabic language website. Inbound visits and spend from the Middle East and India visitors grow, inspired partly by ten blockbuster Bollywood movies being shot here. A Bollywood movie map launches to highlight film locations to coincide with the trend.

2002

• The English Tourism Council (ETC) forms the Tourism Cabinet to review the national situation following the foot and mouth disease outbreak, and coordinate information and activity. Funding worth £3.8 million is received to promote domestic tourism. It is used to set up a visitor information hotline, which operates for ten hours a day over 12 weeks. The national hotline answers more than 21,000 calls providing information and the message that the countryside is open for business. In addition, marketing activity takes place, for example: England - The Great Getaway promotes day visits. We also launch Short Breaks, Long Memories, a campaign run in partnership with 11 large tour operators including Hilton, Hoseasons and more. In addition, three websites are made: an information portal and news and events. Together the three sites receive more than 8 million hits in just two months.
• The Golden Jubilee in June sees BTA launch a £43 million Only in Britain campaign across seven markets. This helps tourism recover from the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001 and the effects of 9/11. The campaign sees an additional 1.1 million visits in 2002 to 2003. Britain is one of only three European countries to experience any increase in visits from the US that year. The Only in Britain campaign is heralded as a ‘textbook’ example of tourism recovery marketing and crisis comms strategy; unsurprisingly it was short-listed for a national PR award.
• Following the foot and mouth outbreaks and 11 September terrorist attacks in New York, BTA launches UK OK, its own £5 million recovery marketing campaign, advertising Britain as the place to visit in 2002.

2003

• On 1 April VisitBritain – the new organisation formed by the merger of the British Tourist Authority and the English Tourism Council – launches with new responsibilities to market England to the British. It launches the first England marketing campaign in a decade based on four themes: Experience, Explore, Discover and Relax.
• Royal Tourism Day is on 10 June. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh open the Britain and London Visitor Centre on Regent Street to celebrate Britain’s tourism industry.

2004

• Visitbritain.com wins World’s Leading Tourism Authority Internet Site at the World Travel Awards.
• Enjoy England Short Break campaign launches in European markets of Ireland, France, Germany and the Netherlands.
• New website and campaign to promote business tourism is established under the banner Meet England.

2005

• Official announcement is made that London has won its bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games. VisitBritain’s strategy was not just to promote the few weeks of the Games but to make full use of the opportunities to promote Britain before, during, and after. Its aim is to reach new customers in emerging markets and refresh Britain’s appeal in established markets.
• VisitBritain runs SeaBritain 2005 – a year-long festival of more than 1,000 events exploring Britain’s maritime history. It explores the way the sea touches our lives and commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.
• The Waterside England campaign is created to support SeaBritain 2005 – to generate consumer interest in waterside leisure activities.

2006

• VisitBritain implements a new three-year strategy for 2006 to 2009.
• Enjoy England campaign launches with TV and magazine advertisements as well as an Enjoy England poster campaign done in partnership with train company GNER.
• VisitBritain’s largest film tourism marketing campaign kicks off. It includes Visit Da Vinci Code microsites which get translated into five languages. The CodeBreaker Sweepstake that runs alongside this project in 42 markets wins a Gold Reggie Award from the Promotions Marketing Association of America.
• In October, we hold Discovery, a meeting and incentive travel workshop. Discovery facilitates meetings between 80 UK meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions tourism suppliers (MICE) and 80 international buyers.
• The Storybook England campaign attracts 30,000 visitors to the dedicated microsite in its first week.

2007

• Visitbritain.com wins the World’s Leading Tourism Authority Internet Site at the World Travel Awards.
• The second stage of the US-focused campaign BRIT generates over half a million website hits in under three months.

2008

• Visitbritain.com wins Travelmole’s Best Tourism Board Website Award.
• Destination Britain, VisitBritain’s annual mission in China is hosted for the first time, with 88 overseas buyers and 2,500 onto one appointment for UK suppliers to meet these key decision makers.   

2009

• LoveUK Facebook page gets created in December.
• VisitEngland is financially separated from VisitBritain and a new Chair of the Board and Chief Executive are appointed. 

2010

• VisitBritain launches a new marketing for Britain: Britain – You’re Invited. This coincides with a deliberate shift away from local micro-campaigns to three major global campaign themes: classic, dynamic and luxury, all using the new strapline.
• VisitBritain launches its corporate social media accounts: Twitter (@VisitBritainBiz) and LinkedIn (VisitBritain).
• VisitBritain hosts its first online annual review.
• The then Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport announces the result of a comprehensive spending review, which reduces VisitBritain’s grant-in-aid by 34%. We reduce our physical presence from 35 to 21 overseas markets, based in 24 key cities. These markets provide a wide geographic spread across the world, accounting for 75% of inbound tourism spend.
• April sees the large-scale Value Campaign launch helping to promote an advantageous exchange rate in Britain for visitors from Europe and America.
• VisitEngland launches as the strategic leadership body representing the public and private sector stakeholders of English Tourism.
• After 24 years in Hammersmith, VisitBritain moves head office to share with other government departments in Victoria, London.

2011

• The Prime Minister establishes a £100 million public and private partnership to attract visitors to the UK over the four years from 2011 to 2015. The four-year marketing programme, GREAT Britain – You’re Invited, aims to enhance the UK’s position as one of the world’s leading destinations for international tourism. We pledge to deliver four million extra visitors; £2 billion extra visitor spend and 50,000 new jobs.
• VisitBritain launches its first global TV advertisement in 10 years — celebrities, including Dame Judi Dench, Dev Patel, Jamie Oliver, Rupert Everett and Twiggy, offer a warm and personal invitation to potential visitors.
• Additional funding is awarded to VisitBritain for a GREAT Britain tourism image campaign as part of a wider initiative to highlight why Britain is a GREAT place to visit, and in which to study, do business and invest.

2012

• VisitEngland releases its first-ever results on domestic day visits in the UK, in partnership with VisitWales and Visit Scotland. The survey reveals that in 2011 British residents took 1.5 billion tourism-related day trips in the UK spending £54 billion.  In England, Britons took 1.3 billion trips, spending £44 billion.
• VisitEngland launches its biggest-ever domestic campaign, Holidays at Home are GREAT, to encourage Britons to take a staycation. March sees a TV advert air featuring national treasures Stephen Fry, Julie Walters, Rupert Grint and Michelle Dockery.
• VisitEngland launches English Tourism Week, a corporate campaign, designed to champion English tourism and raise awareness of its enormous contribution to the UK economy, government, media and stakeholders. It has since developed a consumer element encouraging businesses such as accommodation providers, attractions and other related sectors to get involved by putting on special events and offers during the week. VisitEngland launches Tourism Superstar, in partnership with national paper, Mirror. The campaign aims to recognise one individual working in tourism who has gone above and beyond what’s needed in their job to give visitors a warm welcome. Ten finalists face a public vote on the Mirror website. The first winner is Alan Fiddler, a taxi driver from North Shields.
• VisitEngland teams with Disabled Go to launch a free online training course for businesses to learn how to deliver an excellent service for their disabled visitors and guests.
• International tourism is already our third-largest earner of foreign exchange and contributed £3.2 billion to the nation’s coffers directly in taxation in 2012.
• We supply information to some 8,600 journalists from 102 countries throughout the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. From the London Media Centre, VisitBritain also delivers 200 promotional events such as media briefings, hospitality and opportunities to interview our spokespeople.
• Following activity in the build up to and during the Olympics Games,the research conducted after the Olympics shows that Britain’s ranking for ‘overall national brand’, ‘culture’ and ‘welcome’ all improve. Inbound tourism visits and spend are record-breaking each year from 2012 to 2017. Interestingly, the Olympics in 1948 saw record inbound tourism visits that year.
• The post-Games phase of our marketing programme (Memories are GREAT Britain) starts the day after the Games end and ran until March 2013.
• A major James Bond-themed campaign, a first fully integrated digital campaign, launches in October 2012, capitalising on the 50th anniversary of the iconic character in conjunction with the release of the new Bond film, Skyfall.  
• VisitEngland’s Holidays at Home and GREAT campaign wins Best Consumer Campaign at the Public Relations and Communications Association Awards 2012. 
• Deloitte, with Oxford Economic publishes a report (commissioned by VisitBritain) entitled Tourism: jobs and growth, The economic contribution of the tourism economy in the UK (PDF, 3.93 MB). The report shows that tourism is on the up and is expected to rise by 6% this year. It finds the tourism economy delivers £127 billion in GVA – the value of goods and services produced – accounting for 90% of the UK’s GDP.

2013

• Having hosted a successful Olympic and Paralympic Games last year, evidence is emerging that the world’s perceptions of Britain is changing as ranking for ‘overall nation brand’ and ‘culture’ moves up a scale (Anholt GfK Nation Brands Index, November 2012), and for the first time Britain is in the top ten for its welcome.
• The World Economic Forum (WEF) now considers Britain to be the fifth most competitive visitor economy in the world − a rise from seventh in 2011. In April, the then Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport launches VisitBritain’s long-term tourism growth strategy, for Britain (PDF, 4.53 MB). It aims to attract 40 million international visitors a year, and increase spending to £13.3 billion by 2020.

2014

• In March, Great China Welcome Charter launches, with a new charter mark to be used by hospitality businesses to show Chinese visitors they are ready and welcoming, by including information in Mandarin. The aim is to receive 650,000 Chinese visitors - spending £1.1 billion - by 2020.
• A £10m Northern regional tourism funding programme is announced by the Deputy Prime Minister late in the year. The Northern Tourism Growth Fund (NTGF) aims to promote the North of England through a programme of business visits and events, consumer leisure marketing, press and PR, and travel trade activities. A £10 million tranche from government is met with funding from partners in the public and private sectors, and hopes to ‘change perceptions of the North’ while also growing leisure and business visitors.

2015

• The GREAT UK Challenge Fund launches – as part of the overall GREAT campaign, its initiative around education, tourism, trade and investments throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to grab market opportunities overseas.
• The £5m Government-funded South West Tourism Growth Fund (SWTGF), supported by an estimated £2.2m from partners in the public and private sectors, was part of a collaborative approach to promote South West England overseas and to deliver economic growth in the short and medium-term.
• The Discover England fund launches, with £40 million to be allocated over the next three years to ensure England stays competitive in the global tourism industry. Focusing on strong growth potential of inbound tourism, customers find new places to explore outside of London. This is partly done by improving transport connections and improving online booking.

2016

• We win Best Marketing Campaign for our GREAT China naming campaign at the Travel Marketing Awards in March.
• Marketing Campaign of the Year for our GREAT China naming campaign at the CIM Marketing Excellence Awards in April.
• We get gold in the Service Quality category for our Northern Tourism Growth Fund at the China Tourist Welcome (CTW) Awards presented by China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI), again in April.
• Discover England Fund Pilot (DEF) Projects focus on a number of areas over the next two years including: Golf Tourism, Gardens and Gourmet, South West Coast Path, England’s Seafood Coast, The Great West Way, Growing Manchester as an International Gateway and Growing New Audiences for England’s Heritage Product.

2017

• We win Best Global Partnership for the Social Travel Summit Inverness at the PR Week Global awards in May.
• The next grant stream of the Discover England Fund is to fund large-scale projects for years two and three (2017 to 2019) and aims to develop world-class bookable English tourism products, targeting the right customers at the right time. We invite partners to apply to work on developing world-class English tourism products that respond to international customer demand, and have the ability to be bookable and distributed through new and existing channels, join-up product offerings across geographies and develop a partnership approach across DMOs and LEPs.
• An extended period for Year four of the DEF is granted for 2019 to 2020 to ensure delivery.

2018

• Winners of Europe’s Leading Marketing Campaign, 24 hours in the UK, at the World Travel Awards in June.
• We bag Best European National Tourism Organisation in India by The India Travel Awards in December.
• Placed third for best social media for French foreign destinations by WeLikeTravel, as well as the Best Publishing Website for VisitBritain.com at the WebAwards, both in September.

2019

• Inbound tourism is one of the UK’s most valuable export industries and its third largest service export, worth more than £28 billion to the economy.
• The new Tourism Data Hub launches. It shows the latest trends and spends, allowing businesses to better target overseas visitors. It creates 10,000 tourism-related apprenticeships, and also aims for the UK to be the most accessible destination for disabled visitors.
• VisitBritain takes a sweep of Webby Awards for its I Travel For campaign and Official Honoree, for its VisitBritain/British Airways/American Airline partnership in the US, both in April.
• Discover England Fund gets a further £5.5 million of new funding to deliver the fifth year. All existing large-scale projects are eligible to apply for additional funding in light ofCOVID-19 and focuses on ‘up-weighting of domestic activity to aid the recovery of the tourism products and creating and maintaining trade relationships for when key international markets re-open’.

2020

• As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps the world, the tourism industry is one of the first and hardest hit sectors. The British Tourist Authority announces its objectives to support the sector to ensure its healthy rebound, focusing on things like Government advisory, industry support and communication, recovery preparation and marketing opportunities. Staff welfare, business continuity and compliance are also a focus.
• In February, we celebrate the 50^th anniversary of VisitBritain/VisitEngland with a special event at the Tower of London which is attended by the then Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, (now HRH King Charles III and HRH Queen Camilla).
• June sees the launch of the We’re Good to Go industry standard to help businesses recover and encourage visitors to feel safe enough to book. Created in partnership with the national tourism organisations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the We’re Good to Go industry standard reassures customers that businesses are adhering to the Government’s COVID-19 health guidance on health, safety and cleanliness.
• VisitEngland launches a series of business recovery video case studies to showcase the resilience, innovation and adaption of tourism in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In May, we hold our first virtual English Tourism Week to champion the sector and pledge support to its recovery. The slogan “I support English Tourism” is widely shared on social media by industry, government and ministers, wider related industries and other stakeholders.
• In August, the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence take place virtually for the first time in its 31 year history.
• Our domestic Escape The Everyday campaign launches in September to inspire 25-34-year-olds to book short breaks across the UK by showcasing the breadth of experiences available to them to escape and explore.
• We also launch a new Business Events campaign: Events Reimagined, to boost the international recovery of the sector, to reboot, refresh and creatively reimagine its future.

2021

• The Destination Management Companies’ and Inbound Tour Operators’ Amplification and Distribution Fund launches. The Fund provides cash grants to destination management companies (DMCs) and inbound tour operators for sales and marketing activity, and is aimed at converting pent-up demand for travel into visits to Britain in 2023 and beyond. 
• In February, we announce a partnership with the World Travel and Tourism Council to enable UK businesses that have signed up to the We’re Good to Go industry standard scheme to be automatically issued with the international Safe Travels stamp to reassure international visitors that their business adheres to COVID-19 health and safety guidance.
• We continue with the Escape The Everyday campaign with a new spring toolkit for industry to stimulate bookings for domestic trips and overnight breaks in the UK for the spring and summer season.
• In the run-up to the G7 Summit in Cornwall, we showcase Britain as a visitor destination globally to encourage recovery of inbound tourism and tap into ‘pent-up demand for travel’ by international visitors.
• Over the summer, we celebrate Japan Post’s 150^th anniversary with a very cute campaign to inspire Japanese visitors to discover and book a visit to the UK with the Japan Post’s mascot, Posukuma Bear. The successful social media campaign encourages the industry to help the bear experience British culture by visiting iconic landmarks and destinations across Britain and post photos across various channels including Instagram, Twitter and Facebook showcasing the best of Britain to Japanese people.
• In 2021 two new documents are published that shape the ongoing development of the visitor economy for England and Britain: the Government’s Tourism Recovery Plan, which challenges the industry to become more resilient, sustainable, inclusive and innovative, and the ambitious Independent Review of Destination Management Organisations (DMOs), out in September, and led by our then Chair of the VisitEngland Advisory Board, Nick de Bois CBE.
• In September 2021 our Domestic Support Fund for business events award a total of £200,000 to kick start the industry.
• In October we partner with Camelot to launch the National Lottery Days Out campaign to boost domestic tourism across the UK and support visitor attractions and experiences. The campaign offers lottery ticket holders a discount voucher worth £25 off top attractions via the VisitBritain Shop and Tourism Exchange GB (TXGB).
• We renew our partnership with Channel 4 to launch a second series of Mission: Accessible, exploring Britain’s accessible tourism offer, with comedian Rosie Jones.
• Our flagship international trade event, ExploreGB, is held as a virtual event for the first time in March 2021.

2022

• Early in the year our Head of Business Support Ross Calladine is appointed as Disability and Access Ambassador for tourism by the Government.
• In February, we launch our £10 million ‘Welcome to Another Side of Britain’ international campaign to drive back inbound tourism.
• February also sees the launch of a partnership with the Family Holiday Charity and DCMS on the new England for Everyone Family Holiday Fund, to help 800 struggling families who were facing difficult challenges such as caring responsibilities or lower incomes, to have a short domestic break.
• In March, Patricia Yates steps up as CEO of VisitBritain/VisitEngland following the departure of Sally Balcombe.
• In the run-up to our annual trade event, ExploreGB, we run a number of educational visits across Britain for 50 international travel trade buyers from key markets including USA, France, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, Nordics, Italy and Spain.
• In June, the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence take place at the Library of Birmingham, to announce and celebrate the winners.
• During July and August, the country was awash with high-profile celebratory events which puts Britain on the world stage. These include the Late HM Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, alongside the Queen’s Baton Relay, and the national Unboxed festival which celebrates creativity around the country. These events gave us opportunities to showcase Britain’s warmth, welcome and diversity globally through our Welcome to Another Side of Britain international consumer campaign.
• In the run-up to the Games we also ramp up our international B2B activity to help drive visits through hosting educational visits for more than 40 top travel trade buyers, tour operators and trade media from Australia, Canada and India in and around Birmingham and the West Midlands, in partnership with the West Midlands Growth Company.
• Late in the year we launch a second round of the £450,000 Destination Management Company (DMC) and Inbound Tour Operator Amplification and Distribution Fund to help develop and market tourism to Britain.
• In November, the DCMS announces that the North East of England region has been selected for the new Destination Development Partnership (DDP) pilot, one of the recommendations made in its response to the Independent Review of Destination Management Organisations in England. The DDP will look at developing new initiatives to attract visitors and investment to the region with a view to rolling out further DDPs across England. The £2.25 million project is managed by VisitEngland alongside our work to develop Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs).
• A new pilot programme, The Gateway Innovation Fund, launches (from November 2022 to May 2023) with a budget of up to £750,000 to help DMOs and others deliver international marketing targeting new experience seekers. We launch a dedicated hub on our consumer websites in Australia, Canada and India (as well as our global site) using the Commonwealth Games as a hook to boost awareness, build familiarity, and educate audiences ready to book travel during and after the Games.