How to Include More Destinations in a London Itinerary

In 2022, the U.K. was the most-visited European destination for Americans — surpassing pre-pandemic levels. As a result of this post-COVID-19 recovery, tourism agency VisitBritain has renewed its emphasis on “London Plus,” a marketing approach that encourages travelers to visit England’s capital city, then venture to other regions of the U.K.

The concept was exhibited recently during Destination Britain North America (DBNA), a three-day trade fair held this year in San Francisco. From Sept. 7-10, British suppliers representing destinations and attractions across the U.K. met with North American buyers to demonstrate why Britain continues to be a “must-go-now” destination.

“North America is driving tourism’s recovery in the U.K., and this is a valuable chance to showcase Britain’s exciting tourism products and innovations,” said Nick de Bois, chairman of VisitBritain. “Our focus is on broadening travel itineraries — encouraging visitors to explore further through our regional gateways, come year-round and stay longer.” 

It’s clear VisitBritain is working hard to spotlight the country as a “dynamic, diverse and exciting destination packed full of activities with a truly British warm welcome,” as de Bois put it. And I wanted to learn more about how the tourism agency is catering to its recent influx of North American travelers. 

Our focus is on broadening travel itineraries — encouraging visitors to explore further through our regional gateways, come year-round and stay longer.

I sat down with Gavin Landry, international director for VisitBritain, to discuss "London Plus" and other travel trends.

People want different travel experiences post-pandemic. How is VisitBritain seeing that take shape?

We’re seeing slow travel — staying in one place — as opposed to bouncing around so much, but in the case of the U.K., one place gives you three nations. On the train from London, you can get to Edinburgh, Scotland, in four hours and to Cardiff, Wales, in less than two hours. 

We also did an industry roundtable with Authentic Vacations, Avanti Destinations and Colette, and a trend they're seeing is moving away from 54-person motorcoaches to roughly 16-person groups, because that’s what the consumer demand is.

Part of slow travel also seems to be an adjustment in spending priorities — from expensive hotels to authentic experiences.

If you're only going to be using the hotel as a place to unpack your bags and put your head down at night, travelers are thinking, “Maybe I don't need to spend as much on my hotel; I'd like to save more to go to a museum or have a cooking class or a whiskey experience,” or something like that.

The U.K. has so much on offer, and hotels are facilitators to help you be in the right place so you can go and do things. We're seeing big increases in nontraditional hotel experiences because they're possibly less money, everything is unique, and you could be right next to the attraction you want to see. 

London Plus" often means visiting regions outside London. Can you tell me more about the concept?

London has 32 boroughs, so if you stay in another part of London (such as Camden or Richmond) instead of right downtown, that's a whole different experience — and then you venture from there. 

Clients can get on a train — even for a day trip — and get basically anywhere in the U.K. in a very short time ... It's so much better than the American rail system and undersold.

One thing I would tell travel advisors is to think about rail. Clients can get on a train — even for a day trip — and get basically anywhere in the U.K. in a very short time. From London, you can be in Liverpool in two hours; you can be in Manchester in three. If you want to go to wine country south of London, you can do that in an hour. It's so much better than the American rail system and undersold.

When I was hired to do this job, I traveled across England, Scotland and Wales for 10 days by rail — I never took any other form of transportation and absolutely loved it.

Even travelers who’ve been to the U.K. can experience something new — the focus of this year's “See Things Differently" campaign from VisitBritain. What’s your pick for something different?

An absolute must-see is ABBA Voyage, a digitized performance featuring the band’s biggest hits, held at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It will change your life; it’s that good. It's a light show and a concert because there is a live band on stage.

There are also new experiences related to film and television. Globus has a new seven-day Welsh Escape With London tour, which features one night near Wrexham, Wales, a city that gained popularity from FX sports documentary series "Welcome to Wrexham.” There’s also a national football museum set to open in Wrexham in 2026, so tourism product is developing because there’s such demand.