VisitBritain Rolls Out First Major Campaign in Five Years to Drive Tourism to UK

Britain's national tourism organisation VisitBritain is rolling out its first major marketing campaign in Australia in five years reflecting the growing importance of the country's outbound visitor market to the UK.

The #OMGB (Oh My GREAT Britain) 'Home of Amazing Moments' marketing campaign formally kicks off on 5 September with a six week paid digital and print campaign across Australia to showcase unforgettable experiences and amazing moments that visitors can only get in Britain.

The £1.6m campaign, which includes match-funded marketing partnerships, uses images of authentic experiences and activities shot on locations across Britain to inspire Australians to visit and find their own amazing moments.

Australia Country Manager for VisitBritain David Nye said:

“Britain is packed full of incredible experiences which you can't get anywhere else.From feeling the frost in the air as the morning mist creeps over Hadrian's Wall or the whistle of the wind in your ears as Europe's fastest zip line whisks you over Snowdonia, from watching sunlight breaking over the Scottish Highlands to the roarof a football crowd at our world-class grounds, Britain truly is the home of amazing moments.

“By showcasing the sheer diversity of amazing cultural, heritage and countryside moments found across our nations and regions, we want to inspire Australians to put Britain at the top of their list as the 'must-go-now' destination and book a trip to come and discover their own amazing moments.”

The campaign drives visitors to a website www.visitbritain.com.au/omgb filled with imagery and itineraries showcasing amazing moments across Britain from city to coast, modern to historic. The campaign inspires people to upload images of their own memorable moments from their trips using #OMGB, some of which will be shared across VisitBritain's Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

VisitBritain is working with airlines and the travel industry, expanding tourism product offerings and tactical campaigns to ensure Australian travellers can easily book their #OMGB holidays to Britain.

Australia is a £1 billion market for Britain delivering more than 1 million visits annually and the #OMGB campaign is part of a wider promotional effort and investment in the country by VisitBritain. Earlier this year Australia was selected as one of Britain's seven GREAT tourism markets.

The #OMGB campaign is part of the UK Government's global GREAT Britain campaign, which showcases the very best of what Britain has to offer as a place to visit, study and do business. Just last week the UK Prime Minister Theresa May launched a 'Tourism Action Plan' to ensure that Britain remains a world-beating destination for visitors from across the globe.

There are direct flight connections from Australia to six British gateway cities and Australian travellers not only stay longer in Britain, but travel further. In 2015, Australians averaged more than 14 nights in Britain with more than half visiting the English regions, one in seven visiting Scotland and 7% travelling to Wales.

Last year set a record for inbound tourism to Britain with more than 36 million visits, 5% up on 2014. Inbound tourism is worth more than £26 billion to the UK economy.