Brit proud of Aussie upswing 

Brit proud of Aussie upswing 

Australian arrivals into Great Britain continue its upward trend, achieving high status as a 1 billion pound (A$2 billion) dollar market for the nation.

As the fourth most valuable source market for the UK in terms of value and spend, Australia is the 10th largest for volume, a feat that has not gone unnoticed by VisitBritain’s head office.

Visiting Australia this week, VisitBritain’s global marketing director, Joss Croft said the tourism board were expecting 2015 to be another bumper year for arrivals from Australia.

“There’s 2 key drivers, culture and countryside aligned with heritage sports and shopping” Croft told guests attending a function in Sydney this week.

The nation is set to host various events in 2015-16 to mark the launch, birth and death of iconic British authors, politicians and personalities including the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare, who died on his birthday.

The upcoming Rugby World Cup is also expected to draw sports fans from across the world, in particular popular rugby nations of Australia and New Zealand.

“In terms of au being 24 hours flight time away it’s a considerable number of Australians travelling to Britain. Great early bird fares and promotions will make it a strong 2015, and not just travel to London but also to regional Britain,” VisitBritain’s regional marketing manager, Mark Haynes said.

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