BTA plans a £5m push to woo lost overseas visitors

The British Tourist Authority's (BTA) new £5m marketing campaign wants to enlist the general public to help encourage overseas friends and relatives to holiday in Britain. The BTA is looking for a marketing company to create the campaign, which will run from January to March next year.

The BTA's chief executive, Jeff Hamblin, said it would be "too strong" to say that the public had a patriotic duty to help increase inbound tourism, but he believed that "the best salespeople for Britain are the British."

Hilton, Six Continents and Thistle Hotels are among nine companies participating in the promotion. The campaign will initially target Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Hamblin said January was too early to try to attract US visitors, by far the most lucrative sector of the inbound market. Americans spent more than £2.7b here in 2000. Following Britain's close support of the USA since 11 September, the BTA aimed to make "an emotional appeal coupled with attention-grabbing prices" when the time was right.

The BTA said tourists from Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore most feared possible terrorist retaliation in Britain.

The "double-double whammy" of foot-and-mouth, the strong pound, recession and the effects of 11 September would cut £2.5b off an expected £13b from inbound revenue this year, said the BTA.

by Ben Walker