Pictured above: Maria Sykes, VisitBritain’s Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand with Nick de Bois, VisitBritain Chair.
VisitBritain have set themselves an ambitious target of earning £2 billion from Australian visitors by 2026.
That was the bold message delivered by VisitBritain Chairman Nick de Bois this morning as he launched the organisation’s first travel trade mission to Australia since 2016.
The week-long mission kicked off in Sydney today before heading to Melbourne and Brisbane. Some 36 British tourism providers have made the trip Down Under and are set to meet with buyers and travel agents from across Australia.
Mr de Bois said Britain attracted 1.2 million visitors from Australia in 2023, spending £1.6 billion, which was a new record, with 2024 set to set a new record of £1.7 billion.
“That is hugely significant. Australia is the fourth most valuable market to the UK economy and that is something that we respect but we want to harness and build on.
“I’ll tell you why I think (£2 billion) is highly achievable. It’s because the demand for Britain is clearly growing,” he told a gathering of travel media ahead of the main event.
“The foundations of the relationship between Britain and Australia and the people of Britain and Australia are so deep seated and they run deep and they run long. They are the sort of foundations other countries would kill for.”
Opening the mission to an audience of industry suppliers, Mr de Bois said both the travel trade and travel agents were crucial in getting the UK’s message across.
“We know that working with the travel trade in Australia is more important than in any other country. We know the role of the travel trade and the travel agents is crucial when people come to making decisions about where and why they want to go on holiday.
“Our job is to help you help us and then we all win and the British economy wins.”
Apart from praising the role of travel agents, the Chairman was also quick to rave about Aussie tourists.
“Australians are the most coveted tourists in the world. They stay longer, they spend twice as much as other nations and they are more than happy to move around the United Kingdom.
“They are spending almost double the global average when it comes to supporting our local economies. This is remarkable and I shall be blunt…we want more of that.”
Mr de Bois revealed that 86 per cent of Australians are influenced to visit Britain based on what they see on their TV screens. This has led VB to launch a new campaign called Starring Great Britain.
“We will be showcasing Britain’s regional diversity through our film and TV locations. This campaign will use the powerful pull of screen tourism to boost visits to Britain and drive visits to the regions.”
Mr de Bois concluded by saying the return of the trade mission marked an ongoing and dedicated commitment to the Australian market.
“Our commitment is right up there and it’s not a commitment for a week. It’s a commitment for now and years to come, as it should be.
“It is a significant moment for now and the future beyond the week, because we are about building relationships and building and forging those partnerships that will go on for years.”
