Castles and palaces are what overseas travellers want to see most when they come to Britain, according to a new VisitBritain report.
More than 10,000 foreign tourists were given a list of 18 things that can only be done in Britain – and asked to pick the ones they’d like to do most.
The top three choices were, in order of importance: to go on a tour of Welsh castles, visit Buckingham Palace and stay the night in a Scottish castle.
These results come from a new report entitled ‘’the appeal of only-in-Britain activities’’ which was based on exclusive research commissioned by VisitBritain from the 2010 Nation Brands Index.
Researchers interviewed approximately 10,000 adults in 20 nations around the world (1). The insights provide new evidence that history and culture – particularly when it is linked to Monarchy – are crucial components of this country’s unique appeal as a holiday destination.
In order of precedence the top activities were:
1. ‘’Going on a tour of the castles of Wales. (34%)
2. ‘’Going on a tour around Buckingham Palace’’ (32%).
3. ‘’Spending a night in a Scottish castle’’ (29.1%)
4. ‘’Watching the sunrise at Stonehenge’’ (28.9%)
5. ‘’Watching an English Premier League football match’ was equal 5th (19%) along with ‘shopping in Harrods’’ (also 19%).
Football and shopping: the gender gap
Watching a Premier League match scored much higher amongst men (27%) than women (8%), while shopping at Harrods scored higher amongst women (24%) than men (14%).Women, on the other hand, were slightly more likely to plump for sightseeing famous and historic buildings with 38% saying they would like to go on a tour of the castles of Wales (versus 31% of men), 36% would like to go on a tour of Buckingham Palace (versus 29% of men), 31% would like to spend the night in a Scottish castle (versus 28% of men), and 30% would like to watch the sunrise over Stonehenge (versus 28% of men).
Glasto and the Beatles: the generation gap
Watching the sunrise at Stonehenge was almost equally appealing to all age groups but the over-65s were especially taken by the idea. The appeal of touring a Scottish whisky distillery increased with age (chosen by 12% of 18-24s increasing to 22% of over 65s). But the 18-24s were more likely than over 65s to choose ‘watching an English Premier League football match,’ (22% versus 9%), ‘visiting locations associated with the Harry Potter films’ (15% versus 2%), ‘skating on the Christmas Ice rink outside the Natural History Museum’ (14% versus 0%), and ‘watching the latest bands play at the Glastonbury Music Festival’ (11% versus 3%). Going on a Beatles tour in Liverpool had most appeal for 45-54s (15%) and 55-64s (16%) than other ages.
South Koreans are biggest Potter fans
South Koreans most wanted to visit locations connected to the Harry Potter films (18% said so, their second choice behind touring Buckingham Palace (25%).
Poles are keenest on Welsh castles
Touring the castles of Wales had strong appeal in almost all markets, with Poland (49%), Russia (48%), Italy (46%), and Germany (44%) scoring this highest.
Russians most admire Royal splendour
Russians were keenest to tour Buckingham Palace, with over half (54%) choosing it. The Japanese (45%), Chinese (42%), Poles (42%) and Indians (38%) also had a high aspiration.
Swedes most want to sleep in Scottish castles
Swedes were particularly keen on spending a night in a Scottish castle (40%), as were Italians (39%), Americans (35%), Mexicans (34%), French (34%) and Canadians (33%).
Russians are top Stonehenge lovers
• Watching the sunrise at Stonehenge was of most interest to Russians (41%), Italians (39%), Germans (39%), Canadians (38%), Chinese (35%), and Poles (35%)
Egyptians are keenest Premier League fans
Watching an English Premier League game most appealed to visitors from Egypt (32%), Turkey (30%), South Africa (31%), India (24%), China (24%), Argentina (22%), Brazil (20%), Mexico (20%), Sweden (22%) and Poland (22%).
…and Harrods shoppers
Egyptians showed the greatest desire to go to Harrods (41%), followed by the Swedes (31%) and French (28%).
Patricia Yates, Director of Strategy and Communications, said: ‘’These results show how powerful our culture and heritage is in attracting foreign tourists and the global appeal of experiences that you can only find in Britain. It is striking that touring Welsh castles was so popular – and the top four choices were right across Britain, in Wales, London, Scotland, and England. It all strengthens our conviction that we have a great tourism product that we will be able to showcase on the back of the forthcoming Royal Wedding and 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to deliver a permanent increase in tourism- and the economic benefit and jobs that will result – across the whole of the UK.’’
