A host of travel businesses have added their weight behind a new campaign to generate an extra 1.3 million overnight stays to the UK this year.
Barrhead Travel, SuperBreak and Bourne Leisure are among the names backing VisitEngland’s Home of Amazing Moments promotion, which aims to showcase the range of short breaks and activities on offer to travellers who choose to holiday at home.
Industry consortia including The Travel Network Group and The Advantage Travel Partnership will also support the £2.5 million drive, launching today, as will heavy-hitters Thomas Cook and Tui.
The figure represents a £500,000 increase on the amount offered in 2015, with the total, including match funding, hitting £5 million.
The campaign, now into its fifth year, has previously been fronted with advertising featuring Aardman film characters Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep.
Last year 56 million people took a domestic holiday in Great Britain – an increase of 5.8% on 2014.
The new four-week promotion will focus on encouraging holidaymakers to share photographs and videos they capture during their UK getaways using the hashtag #OMGB on social media – as well as running further promotional material across TV, online and print.
The campaign will run with the tourism organisations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Sally Balcombe, chief executive for VisitEngland and VisitBritain, said: “By showing the diversity of activities on our doorstep, we want to inspire people to book a trip right now to discover their own amazing moments, driving growth in tourism across our nations and regions...”