VisitBritain gears up for NA trade fair in San Francisco

VisitBritain is gearing up for its Destination Britain North America trade event, happening Sept. 7-10 in San Francisco.

About 70 industry suppliers and some 50 buyers from North America are expected to attend the annual three-day trade fair, which will be led by VisitBritain Chairman Nick de Bois CBE, and result in 2,500 one-to-one business appointments.

North American travel buyers and media will have the chance to connect with British tourism suppliers to learn about the latest products and innovations on offer from across Britain’s tourism industry.

The British suppliers include hotels, visitor attractions, destination management companies, tour and sightseeing operators and local destinations spanning the length and breadth of the nations and regions.

READ MORE: Tourism comeback - Canadian visits to Britain up 3% from 2019

“VisitBritain’s flagship Destination Britain North America trade event has been a catalyst for new business for more than a decade and I am delighted to be leading this year’s mission,” stated de Bois in a press release on Tuesday (Aug. 29).

“North America is driving tourism’s recovery in the UK and this is a timely opportunity for British travel suppliers and destinations to get their tourism products and services in front of top buyers and do business, boosting bookings. It is also a valuable chance to promote our messages of warm welcome and to hear first-hand from buyers on the motivations and trends driving outbound travel from North America.

“As well as showcasing Britain’s exciting tourism products and innovations, our focus is on broadening travel itineraries, encouraging visitors from North America to explore further through our regional gateways, come year round and to stay longer, boosting local economies.”

VisitBritain Executive Vice President for the Americas, Australia and New Zealand Paul Gauger said that working closely with international travel trade is “crucial” to selling travel to Britain.

“Our priority now is to build on the strong recovery we have seen,” Gauger stated.

As well as doing business, delegates and media will hear about international travel market trends alongside seminars from London & Partners VisitEngland, VisitScotland and Visit Wales to boost knowledge of Britain as a visitor destination and drive urgency to visit.

Visits from Canada to the U.K. in 2022 were up three per cent on 2019, with 897,000 arrivals, spending a record-breaking total of $1.57 billion CAD, which is 27 per cent up on 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

“This strong growth has continued into 2023,” VisitBritain says.

Flights bookings from North America to the U.K. are currently tracking up 15 per cent compared to 2019.

VisitBritain has been harnessing this growth with its multi-million pound GREAT Britain marketing campaign in Canada and the United States launched earlier this year.

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