by Jim Byers
Last updated: 5:02 PM ET, Tue March 2, 2021
It's not time to travel yet, but when that day arrives you have to like Great Britain's chances of attracting visitors.
The website Statista shows that only five per cent of Canadians have received a COVID-19 vaccine. But Great Britain is fifth in the world in vaccination percentage, with 31.3 per cent of the population inoculated.
Add in amazing history, one of the world's great cities, fabulous culture and surprisingly wide-open spaces, and there's every reason for Great Britain to be cautiously optimistic about the future for tourism and travel.
Visit Britain this week is holding its first ever Virtual Visit Britain Expo, ExploreGB Virtual 2021, with thousands of meetings expected and a gaggle of one-on-one sessions between buyers and British suppliers.
"I think the whole vaccination rollout in this country has been very successful indeed," Patrick McLoughlin, Visit Britain's Chairman, said in a one-on-one chat with TravelPulse Canada on Tuesday.
McLoughlin said Visit Britain definitely wants to bring tourists back, and that having so many citizens inoculated is important. But he also said it's a matter of making sure that visitors are safe.
"It's important that we follow the science," he said.
McLoughlin said Visit Britain is open to the idea of working with agents and having advisors visit Britain to see how they've coped with COVID-19. That includes not only vaccinations but the country's "We're Good to Go" program, which lets visitors know that attractions, hotels and other places travellers would go have been certified as healthy and safe. The World Travel and Tourism Council just the other day granted Visit Britain its "Safe Travels" stamp.
"Eighteen months ago, Britain was a favourite travel place," McLoughlin explained. "People loved coming here. They loved the heritage. There's a very close link between Canada and the United Kingdom anyway. And there's a lot happening next year with the the Queen's Platinum celebration and all that."
McLoughlin said he was able to take Canada's high commissioner to Great Britain to Chatsworth House 18 months ago when he was an MP, and that she thoroughly enjoyed it. He also said Britons hope to welcome Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to a G7 meeting in Cornwall in June.
Great Britain is known for cities such as London, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Glasgow and Birmingham, which will host the Commonwealth Games next year, but it's also amazing for nature and has tons of wide-open spaces to enjoy with no worries about social distancing.
McLoughlin said Visit Britain is launching a special program to promote its natural parks, including the Peaks District.
"There are lots of these kinds of areas. Yes, there are great things to see in London. But if you're making it part of a 10-day or or 11-day stay, do two or three days in London and then get out and see the rest of the UK, be it Liverpool, be it the Peaks District, be it the Lake District" or someplace else.
"There are stunning views. I have to be careful about saying 'stunning views' when I'm talking to a Canadian … but ours are easier to get to sometimes in the UK," he added with a smile.
Asked to name a couple favourite places, McLoughlin said he represented Derbyshire Dales when he was a Member of Parliament.
"I think driving up the A6 and driving through Chatsworth Park and you look out the right side of the car and see that building (Chatsworth House), it is just one of the magical places in the United Kingdom that I love. If you're on the train going from London to Newcastle, as you come into Durham and you see Durham Cathedral, it is the most impressive building you're likely to see anywhere. There are lots of places like that."
Oxford University did a study recently and found that 40% of those surveyed around the world say they definitely will travel internationally this year, and that another 30% say they probably will do so.
"It all depends on making sure it's safe," McLoughlin told TravelPulse Canada. "We don't want any false starts. We don't want to open up and then all of a sudden have to shut down."
Sally Balcombe, Visit Britain's chief executive, said the virtual show is Visit Britain's "flagship event of the year" and that it "showcases Great Britain and Northern Ireland as world-class destinations."
Balcombe said she wants to invite agents and the public back to Great Britain "as soon as it's appropriate and safe to do so."
There's a timetable in place for domestic reopening for tourism, and Balcombe said the British government next month will report back on when the country might open to international travel.
"Clearly we hope we will be opening safely soon," she said.
Gavin Landry, Director, the Americas for VB, said one-on-one meetings will take place Wednesday, with thousands of meetings between buyers and suppliers during the virtual sessions this week.
Landry provided a regional update and touched on a number of marvelous places. For example,the Royal Horticultural Society's RHS Garden Bridgewater will open in May outside Manchester, with 154 acres "and all kinds of fantastic experiences." Scotland is celebrating The Year of Coasts and Waters, he said, while this year also marks the opening of the English Coastal Path, a 2,800-mile path that allows hikers to circumnavigate the entirety of England.
Other new attractions include the sleek new Londoner hotel in Leicester Square and the Johnnie Walker Experience and Visitor Centre in Edinburgh, Landry said.
Visit Britain's Maria Sykes called Great Britain's coast and countryside "a jewel in the crown."
She also gave shout-outs to Birmingham (more miles of canals than Venice), Portmeirion in Wales (a wonderful seaside resort designed to look like an Italian village), The Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, and to the independent shops of Bristol and the azure waters of Cornwall.
Britain also has become a major centre for folks who want to see where their favourite TV shows and movies are made, including Bridgerton, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, The Crown and, of course, Harry Potter.
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