Visit Britain

Rekindling Old Ties

British Tourist Authority now rechristened as Visit Britain was first initiated as a representative office in the country in early 1990's with the main purpose of dissemination of information to the travel trade. Today its stance is different, Punam Singh, country manager, Visit Britain explains why…

Punam Singh

Realising the potential of Indian outbound market, Visit Britain opened a full-fledged national tourist office in Gurgoan (NCR of Delhi) in 2003. In September this year, Visit Britain(VB) also set up a representative office in the commercial capital of India - Mumbai. Today, Visit Britain has embarked on an aggressive destination marketing campaign. And if you think, UK is down and out after the recent bombings, think again. "Please note that such events are happening the world over and hardly any popular destination has been spared. Britain has managed to contain their terrorist and security threats in an effective, quick and discreet way. What is most heartening, that the opposition parties (in government, despite major political differences) have not decimated the ruling party in its efforts to normalize a potentially embarrassing and dangerous situation for petty, short-term gains. That is truly grace under pressure and speaks volumes of the integrity of a destination and its commitment to keeping its (tourist) and other trade on the upswing, " she says.

On the other hand, the Indian outbound market is upbeat and on the upswing. The Indian economy is buoyant, foreign exchange is no longer a problem, people have become more adventurous, have more disposable income and consumerism is rife. Therefore, amongst the top ten "splurge" reasons, foreign travel finds a high rating. Quoting IPS figures, which is the official rating agency for UK and taking into account "visitor" numbers to UK. “For 2005, we are relatively confident that we shall maintain the upward trend; despite the hiccups of terrorist activity in London. This is because London is one of the safest multi-cultural destinations in the world, where the level of preparedness in dealing with security threats and recoup ability is absolutely phenomenal," Singh said.

Strategy

Considering the student market as one of the important niche segments as UK is now the topmost preferred study destination, Visit Britain has laid emphasis on education tourism. Strategically so, because for almost every student who travels to UK, a parent or mentor also travels to settle with the child. In addition, sporting tourism like golf, tennis and cricket is being promoted (this year the British Open was held in St. Andrews, Scotland in July which is one of the top five rated golf courses worldwide and in 2010 the Ryder Cup is being held in Wales). Another niche market is Bollywood from which Visit Britain hopes to derive symbiotic benefits of destination branding and recall in addition to revenue generation. Dealer and corporate incentives and liquor company promotions, especially in view of the Scottish whiskey heritage trails are gaining popularity.

According to Singh, " There is a mind boggling potential of over a billion people to address. Even if one follows the basic marketing mantra of a one per cent conversion, Visit Britain still has the possibility of increasing its visitor base by four times its current numbers".

While travelling to any overseas destination the key dynamics, over and above the basics are common everywhere and include factors like safety, security, value for money, key attractions, easy access to the destination, hassle free visa or documentation formalities, affordable stay options, sightseeing, shopping and food, Visit Britain takes all of these into account. "Fortunately, UK and India have a shared historicity and language, familiarity amongst both its peoples, a wide selection of food options (including vegetarian and Jain food), good shopping, sightseeing and a spectrum of offerings ranging from historic, pageantry to modern and futuristic. London is the fun, fashion, food capital and Scotland is also emerging as a choice destination for Indians. Visit Britain also concentrates on key markets mentioned above and India is part of the Public Diplomacy Initiative (PDI) for two years between 2005-2007. Hence India is the preferred country chosen by Britain to concentrate upon for increasing outbound traffic to UK. Together with British High Commission and British Council, Visit Britain is forging ahead in the PDI arena", she informed.

Future Plans

Though travel to Britain has increased over the last two years, it is still not at the level of some (other) popular European destinations. This could be due to incorrect perceptions of the "unaffordability" of the destination, visa concerns, or even insufficient marketing. But compared to its peers, Britain offers fabulous value for money and experience. Visa perceptions and concerns are being regularly addressed and the British High Commission and VFS are committed to working closely with VB in this sphere, subject always to the necessary and authentic documentation being provided. In that they are no different from any other diplomatic mission and their visa grant turnaround time of less than two working days, is possibly the quickest in all western countries. Visit Britain has stepped up marketing activities and inter-action with the trade, press and PR, as well as promotions with its partners, online contests and B 2 C e-newsletters. All in all, the efforts are being made in a rounded fashion.

Visit Britain and India have to now address issues relating to ethnic (Arab, Asian look alike security procedures in UK) concerns, which have recently cropped up. Fortunately, UK has always been able to tide over their security and terrorist concerns very quickly and effectively, due their high level of preparedness and superb damage control mechanisms. Therefore, this too shall pass relatively smoothly with VB information and press & pr activity. The other concern, pertaining to visa fee hikes implemented recently has to be viewed in perspective, as fees have been hiked for first time applicants and for those seeking visas for upto two years validity. For five and ten year visas, the fees have actually dropped dramatically.

Exhibitions, road shows and trade shows are imperative in tapping any market. "More so in India, as the general population still prefers to travel, book and work through their travel agent. Even Internet savvy and repeat travellers still prefer the fine-tuning of their travel agents. Therefore, it is important to guide and inform, update the travel agents and tour operators about destination deals, innovations, promotions, documentation, special packages etc. Besides this; incentive handlers, Bollywood agents and the general public also visit trade-shows and so information garnered by them would definitely lead to positive conversion in the long term if not in the short. And, the above is also accepted, standardized and effective marketing strategy," Singh said. She further said, " We have been able to develop synergies with airlines, tour operators to market your destination. We are already working closely with BA and have positive future promotions planned with BMW and Air Sahara. Virgin Atlantic, Jet Airways and Air India have indicated that they would be open to working with us; promotions, press and PR options are being discussed with them. Special winter, shopping festival packages for UK in collaboration with some of the carriers are on the anvil. Many travel agents and tour operators in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai are being worked with and to whom we are distributing Visit Britain literature regularly or as and when desired. We are associating with TAAI shortly and presenting a seminar by VB in addition to organizing a talk by British High Commission and VFS, which handles visas for UK in Delhi and the rest of India. This shall be followed thereafter by a similar interaction in Mumbai in early winter". Besides this, Visit Britain participated in IITM, Bangalore in July 2005 and shall participate in OTR, Kolkata in September 2005 and will have their own multi-city sales mission (Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata) and outbound show in Mumbai in 2006. Internationally, Visit Britain took 16 agents and travel press from Delhi and Mumbai to a buyer-seller meet, 'Destination Britain' in June 2005. Activity is planned around Wales show in October 2005, WTM in November 2005 and BTTF in February 2006 in UK and Visit Scotland fair in March 2006.

Vision for the segment

Visit Britain has realised that sporting events, especially cricket always generate fever pitch activity with corporate promotions and group travel, stage shows and award nights (Zee Awards night in London in April 2005), mass student travel (16,000 students travelled through British Council alone last year and this year the figure is likely to be 21,000), government junkets, corporate incentives and business venture tie-ups are large money-spinners. Depending upon the destination, the Bollywood market and the honeymooners segment can also be lucrative.

Sharing her vision for the board in the country, Singh revealed "We have asked UK and our partners to come up with special schemes for the student segment, to popularise wholesale shopping outlets (like Bichester Village outside London), to see if certain shopping areas can open later than the customary 6 to 7 pm closing times in Scotland and Wales, to identify agencies in UK who can help service the specific requirements of the Bollywood market, to help educate and inform the Indian market about the ease with which they can acquire the UK visa through VFS centres in India, to identify hotels who can offer special deals in combination with airlines for cost effective packages, especially around the time of the Chirstmas, New Year and January sales."

Furthermore, Singh wants to be the first point of contact for anyone who wishes to travel to Britain, for people to think Britain when planning an overseas trip and then to travel Beyond London, to enhance the number of days spent in Britain and "to give and derive exponential benefits both ways"