by Jen Mallia
Last updated: 1:50 PM ET, Mon October 20, 2025
When VisitBritain launched its newest marketing campaign, it did so in a blockbuster way — splashing out with a star-studded short film that put tourists in the picture. It’s fun and glamorous and has had buy-in from a wide range of partners, eager to take a turn in the tourism limelight.
Last week, VisitBritain visited Alberta to meet with travel trade and local media to showcase some of the opportunities for visitors to be a part of the story in England, Scotland and Wales. This mission built on the Destination Britain–Americas (DBA) tradeshow and conference held in September in Riviera Maya, Mexico, offering Western Canadian advisors a chance to learn about the exciting offerings that were shared there.
At DBA2025, TravelPulse Canada had the opportunity to sit down with VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates for a 1-on-1 interview, shining the spotlight on GREAT Britain.
Related: Destination Britain Americas Event Showcases the Real Star of the Show
Canadians visit England, Scotland and Wales in droves. By the time 2025 concludes, VisitBritain forecasts there will have been 983,000 visits from Canada across the pond, with Canadians spending £942 million on their trips.
Yates says it is evident there is a “huge appetite among Canadians for coming to see film destinations.”
The suppliers at DBA were indeed highlighting a wealth of new experiences, many of them built around filming destinations. “I think the strength of this campaign is that every destination has a story to tell,” says Yates. “And because we’ve made that commitment to it for two to three years, destinations are building products that can be sold in international markets.”
Many Canadians have a familiarity with Britain. In the 2021 census, more than 10.7 million Canadians identified themselves as having ethnic or cultural origins from the British Isles. Outside of the genealogical bonds, there is our history as a British colony. Many of us learned about British history in school, and millions of us watch devour popular entertainment made or set in the UK. Yates is excited about putting a new twist on what visitors may think of as familiar.
Patricia Yates (Photo Credit: Patricia Yates)
“I appreciate the strength of Britain, of its history and heritage, but we tell our history and heritage in a different way, don’t we?” she says, using the example of how Downton Abbey has encouraged homes and estates to start showing historical life “downstairs” for the workers as well as “upstairs” for the privileged class. Peaky Blinders tours are showing Birmingham (a city that before may have been overlooked) in a different light and the upcoming Wuthering Heights movie will put a seductive spin on Yorkshire. “Canadians probably know and love us, but I think we’re telling a different story,” says Yates. “[We are] tapping into that desire from everyone who’s travelling for personal experiences, not just standing in a building.”
Canadians are more likely than the global average to venture to destinations outside of London when they visit Great Britain which presents a valuable opportunity for advisors to bundle experiences. Our dollar generally goes further outside of the capital, which is attractive to tourists and short travel distances and an efficient train system makes visiting several destinations easy.
Related: Trains Over Traffic: Why Rail Travel is a Smart Choice for Exploring England
“Although anyone British would complain about it, we’ve got really good public transport,” laughs Yates. “So it’s easy to get from London to Manchester in a couple of hours. Two and a half hours you get up to Scotland. Those are very different experiences. If you fly into Manchester, you can be in the Peak District within half an hour. You can be in Wales in an hour.” To Canadians used to travelling hundreds of kilometres to get to a place that is slightly different from the town you just left, that can be a strong enticement to stay a little longer and see a little more in Britain.
VisitBritain cultivates a strong partnership with Canadian advisors, running trade events and keeping its Toronto-based team very active. They wanted to emphasize how grateful they are for the work travel advisors do and are eager to supply resources to help you do your job. Advisors are encouraged to sign up for the VisitBritain trade newsletter and visit the website to stay up to date on destination news and offerings. Please visit www.visitbritain.org for more.
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