BBPA teams up with VisitBritain to launch new pub tourism push

By Gurjit Degun

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Pubs Alcoholic beverage British beer & pub association

BBPA teams up with VisitBritain to launch new pub tourism push
The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has teamed up with VisitBritain to launch a new initiative to encourage people to visit pubs.

Pubs are Great, which is set to be finalised with the Government soon, will be a branch of the Great campaign run by VisitBritain.

Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the BBPA, said it is important to build on the support of the Government.

She said: “We want to build on the support we have received from the Government and launching Pubs are Great is an important part of that. The third most popular reason that people come to the UK is to visit a British pub. That is important and this is the time to build on that sort of support.

“We do a whole range of things on visitor information in pubs; we’ve launched the access brochure (on making venues accessible to disabled customers) — I think Pubs are Great will bring that whole thing together.”

VisitBritain chief executive Sandie Dawe added: “Eating out in pubs is incredibly good value, and it’s definitely something that we promote. We’re working with the British Beer & Pub Association, so there is about to be a Pubs are Great strand to the Great campaign.

“Overseas visitors love pubs and love the idea of pubs because they are uniquely British, and like the idea of coming to practice their English and meet real people, so we promote pubs on that level.”

Simmonds and Dawe were speaking after VisitBritain’s tourism partnership strategy launch, which aims to attract an extra nine million visitors a year.

Dawe added that VisitBritain has found that many overseas visitors do not think that Britain generally offers good value for food and drink. Dawe said she thinks this is because many European countries have lower VAT rates, some at 5%

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