Gulf-based travelers to the United Kingdom believe its image overseas has improved significantly over the last year, driven by better perceptions of British culture, its people, and its appeal as a tourist destination, according to findings released by its tourism board.
Carol Maddison, Manager United Arab Emirates, VisitBritain, said: “Particularly encouraging from these findings is the news that emerging markets rank the UK very highly as an aspirational destination. It is our ambition to attract an additional four million overseas visitors over the next four years, and that will mean turning these positive perceptions here in the Gulf into measureable visits.”
Published in the latest Anholt-GFK Roper Nation Brands Index (NBI), the UK now overtakes France on the overall rankings to become the third most admired country globally, positioning itself as one of the strongest and most well-rounded nations in the world.
The results reveal that the UK – now one place higher than it was in 2010 - is also one of the few countries to feature in the top six slots within each of the six brand measurements that the NBI analyzes annually.
Britain’s enhanced standing on the world stage has been buoyed by respondents’ views on it as a tourist destination, particularly because of the appeal of its rich historic landmarks and vibrant city life. It has also improved its aspirational appeal for overseas markets with visitors more likely to make the journey to the UK if money were no object.
Along with these gains, the UK has also enjoyed success for the third consecutive year in being seen as an interesting and exciting place for contemporary culture, jumping up two spots to fourth place with music, films, art, literature, and sports all areas strongly associated with the British.
Welcoming the latest findings, Chief Executive of VisitBritain Sandie Dawe said:
“This year’s NBI report provides yet another insightful score-card for the UK. It shows that the overwhelming perception of Britain is positive and that our image is improving significantly in many of the countries in which we operate around the world |