{"id":514995,"date":"2025-10-20T18:06:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T18:06:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/514995\/"},"modified":"2025-10-20T18:06:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T18:06:14","slug":"starring-great-britain-travelpulse-canada-chats-with-visitbritain-ceo-patricia-yates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/514995\/","title":{"rendered":"Starring GREAT Britain: TravelPulse Canada Chats with VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Jen<\/a>by Jen Mallia<\/a>
Last updated: 1:50 PM ET, Mon October 20, 2025<\/p>\n

When VisitBritain launched its newest marketing campaign, it did so in a blockbuster way \u2014 splashing out with a star-studded short film that put tourists in the picture. It\u2019s fun and glamorous and has had buy-in from a wide range of partners, eager to take a turn in the tourism limelight.<\/p>\n

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Last week, VisitBritain visited Alberta<\/a> 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\u2013Americas (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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0Destination Britain Americas Event Showcases the Real Star of the Show<\/a><\/p>\n

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 \u00a3942 million on their trips.<\/p>\n

Yates says it is evident there is a \u201chuge appetite among Canadians for coming to see film destinations.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The suppliers at DBA were indeed highlighting a wealth of new experiences, many of them built around filming destinations. \u201cI think the strength of this campaign is that every destination has a story to tell,\u201d says Yates. \u201cAnd because we’ve made that commitment to it for two to three years, destinations are building products that can be sold in international markets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many Canadians have a familiarity with Britain. In the 2021 census<\/a>, 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"PatriciaPatricia Yates (Photo Credit: Patricia Yates)<\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate the strength of Britain, of its history and heritage, but we tell our history and heritage in a different way, don’t we?\u201d she says, using the example of how Downton Abbey has encouraged homes and estates to start showing historical life \u201cdownstairs\u201d for the workers as well as \u201cupstairs\u201d 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. \u201cCanadians probably know and love us, but I think we’re telling a different story,\u201d says Yates. \u201c[We are] tapping into that desire from everyone who’s travelling for personal experiences, not just standing in a building.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0Trains Over Traffic: Why Rail Travel is a Smart Choice for Exploring England<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough anyone British would complain about it, we’ve got really good public transport,\u201d laughs Yates. \u201cSo 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.\u201d 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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<\/a> for more.\u00a0<\/p>\n


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