Inbound tourism is one of the UK’s biggest service exports, forecasting a £33.7 billion boost to the economy in 2025 [VisitBritain]. VisitBritain’s job is to get more people to visit the nations and regions of Great Britain. However, whilst travellers may know our history and heritage, Britain lagged our rivals in being seen as a welcoming, dynamic and diverse destination. It was considered a museum of things to see one day, with little urgency to visit.

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Our challenge was to turn Britain into the top choice for visitors now - a place bursting with new and surprising “can’t miss” experiences across the length and breadth of the country. But, with a fraction of the budget of rival tourism brands, we needed a sharper, smarter idea that would cut-through and steal an unfair share of attention - as well as provide destinations across Britain with a story hook they could align with.

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Forget jet-setting, set-jetting was on the rise and VisitBritain’s research discovered that 9-out-of-10 international visitors are keen to visit film and TV locations during a trip to Britain and more than half of international travellers stated that TV shows and films inspired their travel plans. With film and TV shot across the country, it also provided a unique angle to tell the story of Britain's regions beyond just London.

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Britain is home to arguably some of the world’s most loved movies and franchises ranging from Harry Potter and James Bond to Mission Impossible, Notting Hill, and Paddington. It is our cinema that is the window to our nation’s soul. Our belief was that behind every great movie was an even greater British location to explore and discover. So, it was the perfect hook to showcase Britain as a welcoming, dynamic and diverse destination across its 864 miles from tip to toe.

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So our mission (and we chose to accept it) was to encourage visitors to Britain by shifting the spotlight from our great films and TV to the land where great stories begin, middle and never end - and providing a campaign idea that could rally the British tourism industry to get behind.