VisitBritain, UK's national tourism agency, is teaming up with social media celebrities from the GCC to attract more international visitors to Britain as part of its biggest campaign for the year ‘Great Britain Great Moments’.

The aim is to inspire and encourage visitors to explore more of regional Britain and find their own amazing moments.

The Great Britain Great Moments Campaign was launched on January 31, at a reception held at the Ritz Carlton Dubai, in attendance of Her Majesty's consul general to Dubai and the Northern Emirates, Paul Fox; VisitBritain’s regional general manager Asia Pacific Middle East, Sumathi Ramanathan; and UAE’s key media, tourism trade and industry representatives.

Fox said: “The UAE has a long standing relationship with the UK and the bilateral relationship is as strong as ever. The UK’s rich legacy of heritage, cultural evolution, innovation, vibrant music and some of the best sport in the world, makes it a top destination for Emirati travellers. We have and will continue to invest in this market, with new campaigns, strategic partnerships and innovative and flexible services to maintain the UK’s position as the favourite destination for all kinds of visitors from the UAE, whether it be for business or pleasure.’’

The campaign’s first phase drove visitors to engage with VisitBritain’s social celebrities, directing them to a landing page with fascinating images, cinemagraphs and videos from the exciting and bespoke influencers’ trips. From the UAE, Diala Ali, presenter at Dubai Media, indulged in the tranquillity and picturesque setting of the Highlands of Scotland, whilst Bader Najeeb, Emirati chef, explored the culinary treasures of Birmingham and the dramatic charm of Shakespeare's England.

Visitors to the site and followers of VisitBritain’s social media accounts were also invited to share these images through their own social media channels using the hashtag #nothingnicer and, by doing so, had the chance to win a dream vacation to their favourite British countryside destination.

The second phase of the campaign gets underway this month. This phase will feature a partnership with Qatar Airways to drive conversion and provide promotional offers for travellers to fly into some of the Britain’s most exciting destinations including Manchester, Edinburgh, London and the soon to launch Birmingham route.

Ramanathan said: “Britain is one of the top visited destinations for Gulf nationals. Our confidence in the market is shared by our partners and working with Qatar Airways who has recently launched a new route to Birmingham, will allow us to showcase the regional destinations of Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and London to the wider audience that we have connected with through our influencers.”

Qatar Airways Vice President GCC, Levant, Iran, Iraq & Yemen Ishfaq Jalal said: “Qatar Airways is proud to partner with Visit Britain to showcase to our passengers in the GCC our destinations in the United Kingdom such as London, Manchester, Edinburgh and our newest destination Birmingham. We will start our direct service between Hamed International Airport – Doha and Birmingham on March 30.”

There were 576,000 international visits to the UK from the GCC in the first nine months of 2015, up 18 per cent on the same period in 2014 with visitors spending £1.2 billion, up 6 per cent.

Latest forecasts from VisitBritain show that the number of overseas visitors overall to the UK is expected to rise this year to 36.7 million visits, up 3.8 per cent on 2015.

Spending by overseas visitors overall is predicted to reach almost £23 billion this year, up 4.2 per cent on last year. – TradeArabia News Service