Destination Britain trade show dodges the axe

Destination Britain trade show dodges the axe
By admin


UK tourism chiefs have admitted they contemplated axing the Destination Britain trade show which brings together suppliers from the UK and sellers from across Asia Pacific, including Australia.

VisitBritain said it canvassed the views of buyers and sellers amid a debate over the relevance of the annual event.

But the response was an overwhelming vote of support for the continuation of the show.

VisitBritain overseas network director Keith Beecham said the growth of the UK –based ‘hosted buyers marketplace’, which attracted 220 international delegates in March, called Destination Britain, currently taking place in Bangkok, into question.

“This is the 10th year and there has been some debate about whether it is tired an unnecessary,” he told Travel Today. “We were thinking that if we build up the hosted buyers marketplace then maybe we don’t need a Destination Britain. But the feedback was that we need both.

“Buyers said it was somewhere in the region they could get to easily within a day and the UK trade said it was helpful going off territory for a different experience.”

Buyers and sellers described it as a “fantastic showcase”, he added, and asked VisitBritain what they would replace it with and whether it would “provide a better platform”.

A decision on the location of next year's Destination Britain has yet to be made.

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