VisitBritain to target Brits with ‘culture’ push

VisitBritain is launching a campaign to encourage Brits to take part in cultural events and activities that will be held to coincide with the Olympics and Liverpool becoming the European Capital of Culture.

The campaign will launch early next year when Liverpool takes the culture city title, and will also be linked with with the onset of the Cultural Olympia, a “four-year period of cultural activity designed to celebrate the Olympic spirit in the UK”, which will follow the handover of the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The national tourism agency has appointed Milton Brayer to develop a microsite for the marketing push, which is also expected to cover press advertising.

The agency is expected to work with VisitBritain’s roster of agencies, which includes Farm and MediaCom, on the campaign.

The latest marketing push follows the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s decision to cut VisitBritain’s subsidy from £49.6m this year to £40.6m in 2010, which extinguished its chances of launching a £20m global television campaign.

The tourism agency had asked the Government to provide extra financial support to fund its marketing plans (MW October 18).

VisitBritain says it will continue to promote the country and its attractions both nationally and internationally as best it can with the funds available. The last time it launched a global TV campaign was five years ago – the £40m “Only in Britain. Only in 2002” advertising push.

In the meantime, it has been asked by Culture Secretary James Purnell to oversee a review of the way the UK tourist industry promotes the country.