VisitBritain has again joined forces with the eu Tour Operators Association to deliver what’s now the most important ever business-to-business tourism event promoting Britain internationally.
The Hosted Buyers Marketplace, which gets underway today on the iconic Wembley Stadium, is an exclusive opportunity for British tourism suppliers and destinations to satisfy and do business with over 200 specially selected international buyers from some 22 countries.
HBM gives the tourism industry even greater opportunity to succeed in key buyers through a programme of pre-scheduled and open appointments with additional networking at a gala dinner.
The range of markets hosted by the tourist board this year includes record numbers from China, Germany and India.
Not only is HBM 2013 a record year for international buyer attendance, nevertheless it is likewise a pioneering year for the accompanying hosted familiarisation trips.
The sheer number of itineraries hasn’t ever before been seen, with 16 trips in total happening.
These range from the Scottish Highlands to the southern reaches of Cornwall, with activities comparable to coasteering at the Welsh coast to forcing vintage cars at Goodwood on offer.
All the trips are bespoke to the explicit needs of every market and are based upon VisitBritain’s extensive market research and insights.
They are focused upon introducing new and galvanizing bookable product to the overseas trade with the target of accelerating British experiences into operator’s programmes and helping increase visitor numbers to a couple 40 million a year by 2020.
Latest research shows that not just the 2012 Games, but additionally VisitBritain’s biggest ever campaign, have significantly increased interest in visiting the united kingdom and exploring different parts of the rustic.
Chief Executive of VisitBritain Sandie Dawe said: “This is an excellent opportunity for British tourism businesses to sell themselves to international buyers from all our key markets.
“Britain has enjoyed a superior image boost over the last year – millions visited us and millions more saw us on TV.
“Our job now could be to transform that interest into visits and to get more of england into tour operators’ progammes and sold by travel agents around the globe.”