Strong pound is biggest foe of UK tourism
Neither foot-and-mouth nor 11 September had as grave an impact on tourism to the UK as the strong pound, the British Tourist Authority (BTA) said today as it launched a £5m marketing campaign designed to win back overseas visitors.
The strong pound had affected Britain's ability to compete since 1999, said the BTA's chairman David Quarmby.
The new marketing campaing will be conducted under the banner "UK OK".
Quarmby said the BTA will send out a reassuring message that Britain offers "quality, safety and real value for money".
Adverts in print and on public transport will appear in the USA, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Some 12,000 special offers from participating businesses including Jarvis Hotels, P&O Stena Line and British Airways will feature on the Visitbritain Web site.
The Queen's Jubilee and the Commonwealth Games will be central to the promotion.
Culture secretary Tessa Jowell dismissed as unfounded reports of low interest in organising Jubilee celebrations.
"There will be those who will try to talk it down but they don't represent the British people. The affection and esteem in which the Queen is held will double the resolve of Americans and Europeans to visit the UK this year," she claimed.
The number of overseas visitors to Britain fell by 1% in the year 2000 and by 7.7% during July, August and September 2001.
