New Premier League section on the Visitbritain.tv gives foreign fans a video guide to every Premier League club and ground
With the international break in force, Premier League players have jetted off all around the world to play for their national teams. But now, new video interviews released by VisitBritain show that the Premier League’s foreign contingent love living in the UK and want to share their experiences with their fans around the world.
Six players<http://www.visitbritain.tv/partner-channels/premier-league.html> – a mixture of long-term Premier League residents, as well as some new comers to the most watched league in the world – are the latest recruits to join Team VB, providing a welcome insight into the experiences they think overseas visitors should try when making the journey to Britain, extending our invitation to fans around the world.
VisitBritain joined forces with the Premier League in 2008 to help promote the home of football in key overseas tourism markets using links to Premier League players and clubs. Recent figures<http://www.visitbritain.org/mediaroom/pressreleases/plandvb.aspx> released by VisitBritain show that 750,000 overseas visitors came to see a Premier League match last year, spending nearly £600m in the process.
To make it even easier for foreign fans to visit and find out more about each of the 20 teams, a video guide to each club has been created on the Premier League section on VisitBritain TV at http://www.visitbritain.tv/partner-channels/premier-league.html.
Each of the videos, which are presented by John Dykes, the anchor of the Premier League Content Service, provide insightful history about the club and practical details on how to get to the ground on match day. As well as new promotional film that asks fans what they think makes the Premier League special, there is also a link to the Premier League’s official ticket information service for every Premier League Club.
Laurence Bresh, Director of Marketing, VisitBritain said: “I don’t think football fans in the UK realise just how much excitement our league generates across the globe. Many of the best players in the world want to ply their trade in the Premier League and we want to inspire their fans to come over here and enjoy all that Britain has to offer.”
The starting line-up for the 2011/12 season Premier League player interviews now includes:
· Clint Dempsey: an integral part of the Fulham team since signing in 2006 and represents the USA market, our highest spending tourists in the UK (£2.1bn in 2010). He talks about his ‘love of Wimbledon’ and the desire to take his family to watch The Championships one summer, as well as a trip to Stonehenge to uncover the history and heritage of one of Britain’s world heritage sites.
· Liverpool hero, Dirk Kuyt: the hard-working Dutchman has established himself as a fans’ favourite over the last five years. He adores spending time on the banks of the river Mersey and high on his wish list is to relax and unwind with a trip to the Lake District, and the inspiration for generations of writers.
· Ahmed Elmohamady: Egypt’s ‘David Beckham’ is a rising star of Arabian football, with a potential 80 million following back home. The perfect example of a ‘sports tourist’, the Sunderland player loves the strong sporting infrastructure across the country and the incredible modern arenas like Old Trafford and Emirates Stadium.
· Bringing a welcome touch of Brazilian magic to Tottenham, Sandro is clearly loving life in North London having just signed a new five-year deal at Spurs. Brazil is a market which has shown the fastest average growth in visits to the UK over the last few years, a massive 15% per year. But it’s the folklore of Nottingham that has really caught the imagination of the midfield maestro, home of Robin Hood and Nottingham Castle.
· Premiership goalkeeping stalwarts, Ali Al-Habsi (Wigan) and Thomas Sørensen (Stoke), see Britain as their “second home” having both played here for a number of years. Part time ‘tour guide’ Sørenson goes on to say, “Get a car come over here for two weeks and go to Yorkshire, the Cotswolds and London- England is all about the pubs, little eateries and boutique places.”
Along with the videos from the newest members of the squad, VisitBritain’s new Premier League TV platform<http://www.visitbritain.tv/partner-channels/premier-league.html> will also house interviews from Brad Friedel, Andrey Arshavin, Brede Hangeland and Tim Howard.
