Explore GB closes on high note

Westminster Bridge at sunset, London, UK

This year’s Explore GB attracted over 400 buyers, 30 international media representatives and 430 UK travel industry suppliers to the seaside city of Brighton earlier this month — the largest gathering since the event’s inception — as the UK tourism body sold destination Britain to the world.

UK tourism’s flagship event, Explore GB, showcased a diverse array of travel products, attractions and experiences from across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Explore GB, now in its third year, hosted buyers from Britain’s largest and most valuable inbound visitor markets, including Australia. By the event’s conclusion, more than 41,000 business meetings had taken place over the two days between suppliers and delegates.

Additionally, buyers and journalists experienced tourism products and services first-hand with pre-and-post event trips to destinations across the UK. The Australian delegation, along with buyers from New Zealand and South Africa, explored the regions of Suffolk and Norfolk in England’s south-east.

Bolstering regional tourism in the UK was high on the agenda, as delegates were encouraged to inspire their customers to venture past London and discover new regions across Britain.

The city of Hull was named 2017 UK city for culture. The Yorkshire town in England’s north boasts a calendar brimming with theatre and art events — including hosting the Turner Prize, one of the biggest events in British art, at Hull’s Ferens Art Gallery.

With the ability to financially stimulate and revitalise regional UK towns, it is unsurprising the UK tourism industry is a major job creator and a significant contributor to GDP worth £127 billion annually to the economy.

According to UK Tourism Minister, Tracey Crouch, the UK attracted a record number of visitors to its shores in 2016. This year’s Explore GB is well placed to promote UK tourism globally to further build on last year’s success.

Latest figures from VisitBritain showed 37.3 million inbound visits to the UK in 2016, up 3 per cent on 2015, with visitors spending £22.2 billion.

A growth comparison by VisitBritain showed during the last six years there were 7.5 million more visits in 2016 than 2010, representing an increase of 25 per cent.

Growth along this upward trajectory is expected to continue this year. Forecasted figures predict Britain is set to welcome over 38.8 million tourists in 2017, spending an estimated £22.9 billion.

Visiting Britain for holidays is the most popular journey purpose, with cultural attractions and the variety of destinations the chief motivations for holiday visitors to visit Britain.

The event closed with the announcement the 2018 Explore GB event will take place in Newcastle.

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