Britain Targets Trade, Pushing Business Tourism

Anindita Chattopadhyay - New Delhi

Nidhi Sharma, country manager, VisitBritain

In what may seem to be a change in the marketing strategy, the VisitBritain (a fallout of merger between British Tourist Authority and English Tourism Council) office in India is focusing on partnering with the trade. Over the last couple of years, the national tourist office has been heavily tilted towards partnering with lifestyle companies for promotions. Admitting, that earlier they were more consumer-centric, Nidhi Sharma, country manager VisitBritain said, "Now, we want to have an equal focus on the trade. We are already on the job of expanding the network of travel agents selling Britain across the metros. Our special thrust is on Kolkata and metros in the South as we do not have a strong presence there. Our strategy will be a combination of methods encompassing, improving the quality of skills in our travel partners and allying with non-industry partners like Seagram's ESPN et al. We will also embark on e-tourism as the need is to make Britain not only easily understood but easily booked as well."

Sharma does not see any challenge in promoting the destination except non-availability of seats. That Britain is continuously registering an eight per cent growth in arrivals from India despite the series of crisis that had hit the country shows that London still holds on to its position as a hot spot in the itineraries of travel savvy Indians. However, the NTO is far from complacent and has geared up to promote the core essence of their brand value - heart, depth and vitality. Said Sharma, "The attempt would be to position Britain as a vibrant, warm and refreshing destination that offers value for money by exposing the multitude of experiences it offers."

VisitBritian is concentrating on changing the perception of Britain as an expensive destination. Its concerted effort currently is to educate agents and apprise consumers about wonderful self-kitchen apartments available for as less as 25-40 pounds, half price warehouses of good labels, fabulous yet not-too-expensive shopping complexes outside London and quick getaways that promise life-time experiences. "Britain is much beyond London and escape to the outskirts of London like Cotswold, Stratford Upon Avon or a weekend break to Scotland and Wales can be so refreshing without hurting your pocket," she added.

The target audience for VisitBritian will be leisure, business and VFRs with special focus on MICE. "Our plan is to push business tourism which will have three components - conferences and incentives, leisure extensions for business travellers and promoting selective trade fairs related to booming industries," said Sharma.

IPMA at Birmingham, she pointed out, has generated lots of interest in the Indian textile industry. Accordingly, VB is talking to trade associations like FICCI, ASSOCHAM, CII and trade fair specialists like Orbit to gather market inputs, identifying which industries are looking for international participation and creating a database. "Once the information is collated, we would start our promotions by sending brochures, e-mails etc and appoint a commercial partner to actualise bookings," Sharma informed.