VisitBritain promotes 'Countryside is GREAT' campaign

The hashtag #TorontoLovesBritain was populating Twitter feeds of Toronto travel bloggers on April 30, as the local Travel Massive organization hosted its monthly meet-up in partnership with VisitBritain.

It was a way for the tourism board to share its message with the blogger community, as they continue to leverage various social media channels to inspire travellers to make the trip.

While the vast majority of Canadian visitors to the region focus their experience on London, a new campaign is tempting people to explore beyond the iconic city.

"We all know you love London - it's a perennial favourite so what's not to love? But we want to highlight some of the reasons to explore beyond London," said Cathy Stapells, VisitBritain's PR & communications manager - Canada.

According to research conducted by the tourism board, about 33 per cent of Canadians enjoy the region's countryside and villages when in-destination. In an effort to grow this number in addition to that of other international visitors going beyond London, a new 'Countryside is GREAT' campaign was introduced earlier this year. VisitBritain's ambition is to generate extra visitor spend of $130 million which would see the creation of 1,296 new jobs by 2018.

Throughout the three-year initiative, VisitBritain is featuring bespoke, curated countryside itineraries, experiences, services and packages on ‘The Countryside Collection’ campaign website and across print media.

Brand ambassadors share their own chronicled countryside experiences, from zip-lining in Wales to champagne cruising on a Scottish loch to sampling local produce in an award-winning gastro pub after a coastal walk. With written, photographic and video content available on a dedicated website, the regions featured in the first year of the campaign are the Scottish Highlands, Peak District, Cotswolds, Cornwall, Pembrokeshire, North Wales, Lake District and Yorkshire.

"It gives you a wonderful introduction to areas of Britain you might not already be aware of," Stapells told guests.

She also took the opportunity to highlight the wealth of air connections between Canadian gateways and the destination, including London, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Manchester. Air Canada, British Airways and Air Transat each contribute to the 12 daily flights and nearly 100 weekly flights from seven gateways across Canada. WestJet will be introducing service to Glasgow from Halifax later this month.

PHOTO: Of VisitBritain: Hannah Choat, PR assistant; Dana Polonsky, PR Executive USA; Cathy Stapells, PR & communications manager - Canada & Joanne Simmons, online marketing executive