There is a road most travelled in tourism advertising – montages of destination highlights abound. Pablo has found a strikingly different way to reinvigorate the formula. It features the major movies and TV series shot in British locations over recent years, including Mission: Impossible, Bridget Jones, Spider-Man, Succession, House of the Dragon, Harry Potter, Paddington, Fast & Furious and Mary Poppins Returns.
The twist in the launch film, Starring GREAT Britain, that appears to promote these productions is that its real feature is Great Britain itself.
The film, directed by Academy Award-winning British director, Tom Hooper, is supported by a wider advertising campaign running across the UK’s largest and most valuable visitor markets such as Australia, the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries, France, Germany and the US.
The campaign responds to VisitBritain’s screen tourism research, which showed that that more than 9 out of 10 potential visitors to the UK would be keen to visit film and TV locations during a trip.
The first phase runs until the end of March 2025 and is part of a longer-term screen tourism focus by VisitBritain. In addition to the launch film, the multi-media advertising campaign uses various channels to showcase destinations across England, Scotland, and Wales as the backdrop for stories, action, and adventure. People will see the campaign on large digital billboards in locations including Kurfürstendamm in Berlin, Germany; Gare du Nord Station in Paris, France; the City Walk hub in Dubai, UAE; and the Jeddah Corniche in Saudi Arabia, alongside branded content across social media.
The advertising also directs viewers to a screen-tourism hub on VisitBritain’s global consumer website with itineraries themed around film genres from romance to fantasy, action to adventure, encouraging visitors to broaden their itineraries, discover more regional destinations and stay longer.
To amplify the campaign and drive bookings, VisitBritain is working with partners, including Expedia Group in Australia, France, Germany and the US. In February, marketing activity through VisitBritain’s GREAT Gateway Innovation Fund will kick off in Germany and the US to boost inbound visits through regional gateways.
Starring GREAT Britain is also being spread across social channels and in work with the international travel trade. As part of VisitBritain’s Showcase Britain event this month, 120 top travel trade from across 17 markets have been undertaking tailored film and TV-inspired educational visits across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, exploring the latest tourism products and experiences to get those sold in international markets. VisitBritain has invited tourism businesses, attractions, and destinations across Britain to get involved in the campaign by sharing local screen tourism experiences across their channels using #StarringGreatBritain.
Lastly, VisitBritain is working with the British Film Commission to boost screen tourism across the nations and regions. Tourism and the creative industries are growth industries. The UK’s capacity to host major film and TV productions and its world-class production offer boosts the range of screen-related visitor experiences and locations, driving economic growth and strengthening perceptions of Britain globally as a place to visit and invest. Research shows that those who have visited the UK are 16% more likely to invest in its businesses, products and services.
The full campaign was developed with Pablo, OMD, OmniGOV and global creative production agency, Tag Worldwide.
