Press release -
Campaign launches to inspire young people to take a holiday at home
A UK-wide tourism campaign is launching to inspire young people from Great Britain and Northern Ireland to take a holiday at home.
Statistics show that 16-to-34 year olds took almost 1.4 million fewer holidays at home last year compared to a decade ago.
VisitEngland’s £2.5 million ‘Join the World - Discover the UK’ digital and social media campaign, launching on Monday 11 September, is targeting this ‘lost generation’ using overseas social media influencers and travellers to showcase to their peers the amazing moments and experiences that can only be had on a holiday at home in the UK.
The campaign is run in partnership with the national tourism organisations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and tourism businesses and destination management organisations across the UK.
Part of the UK Government’s GREAT Britain campaign Join the World - Discover the UK is expected to generate more than one million additional overnight stays with an £80 million boost to the economy.
UK Government Minister for Tourism John Glen said: “There is an incredible amount to see and do across the whole of the UK and we want to inspire more young people to take in our world-class attractions, sites and cities.
"Tourism boosts our economy, creates jobs and supports local businesses. By showcasing the exciting and diverse range of trips on offer I hope it will encourage many more young people to explore the UK.”
VisitBritain/VisitEngland Chief Executive Sally Balcombe said: “From moonlight kayaking in Northern Ireland and mountain-biking down Elan Valley in Wales to a night-out in the vibrant Ashton Lane in Glasgow and craft-beer experiences in Yorkshire, the UK is packed full of amazing moments.
“We want young people to take a new look at the sheer diversity and quality of activities and experiences right here on our doorstep and inspire them to book a short-break, boosting seasonal tourism and spreading its economic benefits across the UK.”
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland said: “The millennial generation is one of the largest in history – even surpassing baby boomers - and so the potential impact of attracting this lucrative market is significant. The thing that binds these 16-35 yr olds is a strong desire to enrich their lives through travel and it is time to put Scotland at the top of their priority lists. We want to make millennials in the UK and overseas aware of the diverse experiences they can have in Scotland. From camping under a blanket of stars in the Dark Skies Park in Dumfries and Galloway, to road-tripping on the North Coast 500, or from relishing delicious vegan food in Glasgow to feeling the adrenaline-rush of coasteering in Argyll - there is an adventure on every corner. With the launch of this new VisitBritain campaign, and our own activity with E4 next week, both targeted at the millennial traveller, we are making some real steps to encourage this market to discover Scotland. And, as the 2018 Year of Young People is on our doorstep, there has never been a more fitting time to embrace everything this influential and digital savvy generation has to offer.”
The campaign drives online ‘traffic’ to a hub on www.visitbritain.com/jointheworld featuring blogs and user-generated content showcasing seasonal events, activities and experiences. Visitors can upload images of their own amazing moments on social media using #lovegreatbritain and #loveUK for the chance to feature on the hub. Short-films created by a French social media influencer on a foodie trip to Northern Ireland and a Canadian influencer on a city-trip to Bristol launch in October.
The campaign runs throughout the year with peaks in paid media activity targeting the shoulder seasons to encourage young people to take short-breaks in the UK, boosting travel during the quieter seasons.
Join the World - Discover the UK marks the sixth year that VisitEngland has run a campaign to boost domestic tourism and get people out exploring the UK with former promotions featuring Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and celebrities.
Tourism is worth £127 billion to the UK economy.
Topics
- Tourism
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by seven overarching strategies:
- Marketing: we will market Scotland and its outstanding assets to visitors from all parts of the world, including the promotion of Scotland to people living in Scotland to visit different parts of the country
- Events: we will support the national events strategy and its delivery, and sustain, develop and promote Scotland’s international profile as one of the world’s foremost events destinations
- Internationalisation and International Engagement: we will utilise all our platforms to enable Scottish-based tourism businesses to better understand international opportunities and market to a global audience and we will work within One Scotland Partnerships to optimise the potential of Scotland’s Diaspora and our strategic partners at regional, European and global levels
- Customer Experience: we will provide information and inspiration to visitors both locally and globally via their preferred medium of choice
- Quality and Sustainability: we will provide support and advice to businesses, with the goal of improving the quality and sustainability of the tourism sector in Scotland. We will provide quality assurance to visitors through our Quality Schemes
- Inclusive Tourism: we will strive to make tourism in Scotland inclusive and available to all
- Working in Partnership: we will listen to and work with the industry, partners and communities to shape our offering and support
- To ensure everyone can safely enjoy Scotland’s amazing countryside and landscapes, VisitScotland encourages all visitors to fully respect their surroundings by behaving in a responsible and appropriate way.
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP
- The Scottish Government is the Managing Authority for the European Structural Funds 2014-20 Programme. For further information visit www.gov.scot or follow @scotgovESIF
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh) 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology
- 2017 is the year to delve into the past and discover Scotland’s fascinating stories through a wide-ranging variety of new and existing activity to drive the nation’s tourism and events sector, boosting tourism across Scotland.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology begins on 1 January 2017 and will end on 31 December 2017. It will build on the momentum generated by previous themed years in Scotland including the 2015 Year of Food and Drink, Homecoming Scotland 2014, the Year of Creative and the Year of Natural.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology is a Scottish Government initiative being led by VisitScotland, and supported by a variety of partners including Creative Scotland, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish Enterprise, The National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Built Environment Forum Scotland, Heritage Lottery Fund, Museums Galleries Scotland and Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology is supported by £570,000 of Scottish Government funding.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology events fund is managed by EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
- For more information visit visitscotland.com/HHA2017 or join the conversation at #HHA2017
