VisitBritain to host its first trade mission to Australia from 9 to 13 September since 2016

The best of destination Britain will be on show in Australia as VisitBritain Chairman Nick de Bois CBE leads the agency’s first trade mission to the country since 2016. VisitBritain’s five-day Australian trade mission, taking place from 9-to-13 September in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, will see dozens of British travel trade and industry suppliers meet with top buyers from Australia to do business.

One-to-one business meetings are set to take place during the mission, giving top Australian travel buyers the chance to connect with British suppliers and destinations, learn about the latest products and innovations on offer and explore new business opportunities.

VisitBritain Chairman Nick de Bois CBE said: “I am delighted to be leading VisitBritain’s first trade mission to Australia in nearly a decade, a timely and valuable opportunity to harness the strong growth we’re seeing from this incredibly important inbound visitor market, forecast to be worth a record £1.7 billion to our economy this year.

“This mission marks a major milestone for us to reconnect with the travel trade across Australia. Building product knowledge also broadens itineraries so visitors explore more of our nations and regions, with that spending going into local economies.

“The friendship and connections between our countries already run deep. The size of our delegation shows the enthusiasm from British tourism suppliers to do business with Australia and to hear first-hand from buyers on the motivations and trends driving outbound travel.”

The British suppliers include hotels, visitor attractions, destination management companies, retailers, tour and sightseeing operators spanning the length-and-breadth of the nations and regions.

During the trade mission delegates will also have the chance to connect with top travel advisors from Australia’s retail sector during networking events and dedicated agent training sessions, converting the demand for Britain into bookings.

VisitBritain will also be updating delegates on its upcoming multi-million pound ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign, rolling out across its major inbound markets from early 2025 including in Australia. The campaign is harnessing the powerful draw of screen tourism to inspire more visitors to choose Britain, discover more and stay longer, driving visitor spending into local destinations. Latest research by VisitBritain showed 86% of Australians who are keen to visit the UK are interested in visiting film and TV locations during their trip.

VisitBritain’s latest estimates show Australians are forecast to spend a record £1.7 billion on their trips across the UK this year. The number of Australian visits to the UK has also been reaching historic highs. There were a record 1.2 million visits from Australia to the UK in 2023, up 10% on 2019.