VisitBritain, Newcastle Airport and NewcastleGateshead Initiative announce partnership to promote region to overseas visitors

VisitBritain, Newcastle Airport and NewcastleGateshead Initiative have announced a partnership to promote the North East of England to overseas visitors.

The three-year partnership will focus on driving more visitors to explore the diverse culture and heritage of NewcastleGateshead and the surrounding areas. In year one, the initiative will target visitors from Germany, highlighting the direct flights from Berlin to Newcastle Airport, and profiling Great Exhibition of the North as a reason to travel in 2018.

The partnership is also working with local destination management organisations, Northumberland Tourism and Visit County Durham, and tourism colleagues at Sunderland City Council, North Tyneside Council, South Tyneside Council and the Tees Valley Combined Authority, to develop bookable itineraries showcasing the region’s varied tourism product.

VisitBritain Commercial Director Carol Dray said:

 “We are pleased to be working together to promote the North East to an international audience. Increasing regional connectivity not only makes it easier for visitors to see more of Britain, it boosts economic growth, further cementing tourism as one of the UK’s most valuable export industries.”

Chief Executive at NewcastleGateshead Initiative Sarah Stewart said:

“We’re delighted to have brokered this three-way partnership which will strengthen our ongoing work to inspire and attract visitors from key markets. Importantly, our plans for initial campaign activity next spring will support work to promote the Great Exhibition of the North to international audiences and provide a really compelling reason to travel here in 2018.

“Collaborating with colleagues at Newcastle Airport and across the North East, the partnership will also support product development and provide greater profile for our regional tourism assets.”

Chief Executive of Newcastle International Airport Nick Jones said:

We are delighted to team up with VisitBritain and NGI, with the support of other partners, to help promote our fantastic region to overseas markets. A number of air routes that operate from Newcastle Airport have the potential to bring tourists in. By growing inbound numbers we will not only further strengthen the routes themselves, but also boost the North East economy.”

Lead of the LA7 shareholders and Leader of South Tyneside Council, Councillor Iain Malcolm said:

“It is great news for the region that Newcastle Airport has been identified as a gateway for inbound international tourists. The partnership announced today will promote the North East in some of the markets that the Airport connects us to, boosting tourist numbers and helping to further grow the economy and provide new jobs.”

Newcastle was this week named as the top destination in the world to visit in 2018 by Rough Guide, citing Great Exhibition of the North as a key reason to make the trip next year.  The Exhibition (22 June to 09 September 2018) will celebrate the North’s cutting-edge technology and inspiring culture that has defined the past and continues to shape the future. The free, family-friendly Exhibition brings together performance, visual arts and interactive experiences using the city as its stage, with activity in NewcastleGateshead’s world-class venues and outdoor spaces. Visitors can begin their journey at one of two Exhibition Hubs at the Great North Museum or Gateshead Quays (BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and Sage Gateshead), connected by three walking trails focusing on arts and culture, design and innovation.

Germany was the UK’s 2nd most valuable market for spend in 2016, with inbound visitors spending £1.5 billion, and was the UK’s 3rd most valuable market for volume, with 3.3 million inbound visits last year.

VisitBritain’s forecast shows that overseas visits are expected to reach 39.7 million in 2017, up 6% on 2016 figures. Spending by overseas visitors is forecast to reach £25.7 billion, up 14% on 2016.

Tourism is worth £127 billion to the UK economy, creating jobs and boosting economic growth across its nations and regions.

 

ENDS.

 

Notes to Editors

 

About NewcastleGateshead Initiative

  • NewcastleGateshead Initiative is a destination management and marketing agency; a public-private partnership supported by Gateshead and Newcastle City Councils, working with around 170 private sector partner organisations. Its mission is to inspire people to visit, and to live, learn work and invest in NewcastleGateshead and the wider region.
  • United by seven bridges across a spectacular riverscape, Newcastle (a city on the north bank of the River Tyne) and Gateshead (a town on the south bank) form a single, diverse and extremely vibrant visitor destination. World-class culture, vibrant nightlife, award-winning dining, inspiring heritage, fantastic shopping and acclaimed architecture are combined here like nowhere else, by the famous Geordie spirit which is symbolised by Antony Gormley’s iconic Angel of the North as it welcomes travellers to the area.

 

About Newcastle Airport

  • Newcastle International Airport is the largest airport in the North East. It is a jobs generator, supporting 18,900 jobs, including 3,450 onsite.
  • Newcastle International Airport is a public private partnership. Seven local authorities own 51% of the airport company; Durham County Council, Gateshead MB Council, Newcastle City Council, Northumberland Council, North Tyneside Council, South Tyneside Council and Sunderland City Council. 49% is owned by AMP Capital.
  • The Airport serves a catchment area of the North East, South Scotland, Cumbria, and North Yorkshire and facilitates over £1.16billion in GVA into the regional economy every year.
  • In 2016 4.8 million passengers passed through the airport. Newcastle International Airport connects to more than 80 destinations directly and provides customers with access via a wider global network through London Heathrow, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Dublin, Copenhagen and Dubai.