VisitEngland in partnership with the tourism organisations of London, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is stepping up its UK-wide ‘Escape the Everyday’ campaign to drive domestic day trips and overnight breaks as the summer holidays begin.

The ‘Escape The Everyday’ campaign, first launched in September 2020, highlights the quality destinations, visitor attractions and experiences on offer across the UK to build back demand for domestic breaks and boost consumer confidence as restrictions lift. The summer campaign ‘Escape the Everyday – Enjoy the UK this Summer’ has a focus on cities and city attractions as well as regional gateways which have been hit particularly hard by the lack of international visitors and that rely on their spending.

The ‘Escape the Everyday – Enjoy the UK this Summer’ campaign is part of the UK Government’s GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland campaign. The GBP 5.4 million campaign kicks up a gear from this week with the launch of more than 1200 digital billboard adverts showcasing activities and experiences in cities across the UK as well as advertising on radio, digital audio and podcast platforms. A new short video and branded content across social media as well as ‘on demand’ television advertising will launch in August.

Tourism minister Nigel Huddleston said: “There is so much to see and do in our vibrant towns, cities and villages across all corners of the United Kingdom and we want people to make the most of our tourism offer and rediscover summer safely. It’s been a challenging period for our brilliant tourism and hospitality businesses but they’re ready to welcome us back and I encourage people to show their support for this important industry.”

VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said: “As we emerge from lockdown, reconnect with family and friends and with international visitors slower to return, now is the time to book a domestic city break and also support our local businesses, attractions and destinations as they start to rebuild. Whether it’s a day trip to a local attraction or an overnight stay, whether dining out in our vibrant cafés or exploring our world-class museums and galleries, we want people to rediscover and take a new look at what’s on their doorstep.”

The tourism agency’s latest forecasts show that domestic tourism spending is estimated this year of GBP 51.4 billion, just over half of the GBP 91.6 billion in 2019. Last year alone saw about two-thirds of the value wiped off the domestic tourism industry in Britain, a GBP 58 billion loss to the economy. Its forecast for inbound tourism spending in the UK this year is GBP 6.2 billion, less than a quarter of the GBP 28.4 billion in 2019.