Member News
The Olympics will act as a "fantastic opportunity" to attract tourism to Britain, the head of a national tourism agency has said.
Speaking at the all-party parliamentary group on tourism, the newly appointed chief executive of VisitBritain, Sandy Dawes, outlined the sector's plans for using the Olympics as a "catalyst to drive improvements" in the tourist industry.
"It is the biggest global sporting event," Dawes said, "And the most watched."
She highlighted that "a lot of the action takes place outside of the stadia", including the triathlon and rowing.
Events outside the traditional stadia would act as "a fantastic showcase", she added.
Detailing VisitBritain's Olympic tourism strategy, Dawes revealed that the tourism body was taking "inspiration" from Sydney's example in 2000.
Sydney was a "national tourism strategy" rather than city-based, she said, and VisitBritain hoped to emulate this.
Previous research revealed that the UK has fared "poorly" in its appeal to young people, she stated.
Britain now needs to use the Olympics to "project a different image" to "attract more young people", Dawes explained.
And it is important that Britain is portrayed as "friendly, welcoming, dynamic and fun".
British tourism should especially concentrate its efforts on "emerging and developing markets", Dawes added.
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd