VisitBritain ties up with Premier League to boost tourism
VisitBritain is bringing Premier League footballers on board to talk about their favourite places in Britain as part of an online initiative.
The national tourism agency has interviewed Premier League players including Arsenal player Cesc Fabregas and Fulham star Brede Hangeland about how much they enjoy playing in the UK and what they like to do in their spare time.
The aim of the partnership between VisitBritain of the Barclays Premier League is to leverage the international interest in football to encourage visits to Britain.
The interviews as well as details about their suggestions of places visitors to the UK should see as well as advice to foreign fans on how they can get tickets and hospitality deals through travel partners, will be hosted on a dedicated microsite at http://www.visitbritain.com/football.
The site will also promote attractions and activities around the stadiums of the 20 Premier League clubs.
VisitBritain says research has found that 40% of visitors want to watch a football game and that one in six visitors to the UK watch or play live sport.
Laurence Bresh, VisitBritain director of marketing, says: “We found that Premier League players love living and playing in Britain and enjoy taking time off to visit Britain’s famous locations.
“From all London has to offer to the Midlands, the beautiful scenery of Lancashire to the vibe of Liverpool, these Premier League stars have shown that they appreciate the beauty of Britain and do all they can to make use of what it can offer the international visitor.”
