International Marketing Opportunities
International Marketing Opportunities
International Marketing Campaigns
Inspiring our international visitors
Reaching out to international markets can represent a step change in your business prosperity, and now is a great time to take that step. Latest data from VisitBritain shows that for the first time, inbound visits to the UK surpassed pre-pandemic levels, reaching 8.7m visits in Q1 2024, up 14% on the same period last year, and the total for 2024 visits are forecast to exceed the 38m visitors welcomed in 2023.
But where to start?
Working through travel industry intermediaries like overseas tour operators and travel agencies is the most effective way to extend your marketing reach internationally. With the benefit of being home to some of the busiest international gateways to the UK, including London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Dover, Portsmouth, and Southampton, we should have a head start, plus by working together on campaigns, we can represent a more holistic holiday proposition across our region, and help enhance your individual business’ USP's and maximise your visibility to international buyers, as well as reduce your marketing costs.
How do we know what to do?
Twenty years of experience working with the international travel trade, means we understand the UK's key markets and how best to reach them on behalf of our region. For 2025/6 we are focusing on trade sales missions to key overseas markets, including USA and the perennially popular consumer exhibition Vakantibeurs in the Netherlands. Plus our international email database keeps us in regular touch with over 1700 international travel trade buyers.
Tourism South East are delighted to offer destinations, attractions, and accommodation businesses the opportunity to showcase products and target international visitors, as outlined below.
Get in Touch
If you would like to find out more about how TSE Marketing can help your organisation please contact us Tel: 023 8062 5400
Email: smann@tourismse.com
Britain and Ireland Marketplace (BIM)
Britain and Ireland Marketplace
January 2026
•ETOA-organised event in conjunction with UKInbound and VisitBritain
•All-day B2B Workshop in London promoting the best of British and Irish tourism products to international, European, and domestic travel buyers
•Representation to up to 15 US and European contacts
Cost : £200 +VAT
Britain and Ireland Marketplace (BIM)
Britain and Ireland Marketplace
January 2026
•ETOA-organised event in conjunction with UKInbound and VisitBritain
•All-day B2B Workshop in London promoting the best of British and Irish tourism products to international, European, and domestic travel buyers
•Representation to up to 15 US and European contacts
Cost : £200 +VAT
Near Europe - France and Germany
This year's Near Europe Campaign will target the markets of France and Germany. In 2023, the UK welcomed 3.2 million visits from France. During the travellers’ visits, their total expenditure was a record £1.6 billion. In 2023, the UK welcomed 3 million visits from Germany. During the travellers’ visits, their total expenditure was a record £1.8 billion.
Preferred activities are dining, sightseeing of famous buildings/ monuments, and shopping. The French and Germans rate the UK highly for culture in general, contemporary culture, sports, vibrant cities, historic buildings and cultural heritage.
Target Audience
Tour Operators, Wholesalers, OTA’s based in UK, and Near Europe who work in the French and German inbound markets.
Planned Activity
As part of each sales mission package, you will receive:
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Production of product fact sheets, loaded USBs, itineraries etc
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Themed Newsletter inclusion to 900 trade contracts across Europe
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TSE in-person representation showcasing your product to c.15 travel trade buyers per mission/market
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TSE in-person representation at associated mission events e.g. networking receptions, pre-mission communications
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A full report from each mission, including a market overview, and full contact details of contacts and active leads
Sales Missions
TSE will offer representation at industry-accredited sales missions to France and Germany and a Travel Industry Buyers event held in London.
See below for details.-
French Sales Mission – Paris and surrounding areas
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October 2025
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TSE in-person representation, showcasing your product to c.15 travel trade buyers
Britain and Ireland Marketplace– Paris and surrounding areas
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January 2026
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ETOA-organised event in conjunction with UKInbound and VisitBritain
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All-day B2B Workshop in London promoting the best of British and Irish tourism products to international, European, and domestic travel buyers
Germany Sales Mission – Berlin
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March 2026
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TSE in-person representation, showcasing your product to c.15 travel trade buyers
Travel Trade Themed Newsletter - The Perfect English Escape
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75 words, image and URL with direct link to your website
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Content Due Date 14th January 26, Dispatch Date 28th January 26
Timescales: September 2025 - March 2026
Cost : £1,200 +VAT
Vakantiebeurs Holiday Show
(Consumer)
The Vakantiebeurs holiday show takes place from January 8th to 11th, 2026, in Utrecht in the Netherlands. This consumer show welcomes over 71,000 visitors over the four-day show who are actively looking for holiday inspiration. With over 1000 exhibitors from around the world, this remains the top travel show for the Dutch market. 2026 sees a new look format to the show, with travel trade as a completely separate show.
Planned Activity
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Options for partners across the UK to attend the show on their own pod, branded with their own logo and images
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Options for partners across South East England to attend the show on their own pod under the Visit South East England banner
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Options for partners across South East England to attend the show on a shared pod under the Visit South East England banner
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Advert in Visit South East England guide taken and distributed at the show
Nordics
According to our forecast, the Nordics combined (Denmark, Norway and Sweden) will rank ninth in terms of visits to the UK in 2025 with 2.1 million visits, contributing approximately £1.4 billion to the UK visitor economy.
Target Audience
Tour Operators, Wholesalers, OTA’s based in Nordics (Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who work in the UK inbound markets.
Planned Activity
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DB Nordics, Stockholm 5 February 2026
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Production of product fact sheets, loaded USBs, itineraries etc
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TSE in-person representation, showcasing your product to c.20 travel trade buyers
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A full report from the mission, including a market overview, and full contact details of approx. 20 contacts and active leads:
Sales Missions
Cost £500 +VAT
North America
The UK welcomed a record 5.1 million visits from the US in 2023 and 1 million visits from Canada. These visits equate to a total spend of £7.3 billion, with an average spend of £1,222 per visit. This makes the US the leading international market in terms of volume and value.
This campaign is designed to with US and Canadian tour operators, travel agents, DMC and wholesalers. We have also ensured that all activities are aligned with Visit Britain (UK and US teams) and ETOA (European Tourism Association). By working together, across the South East region, we can enhance our partner USPs to maximise visibility and make budgets work efficiently to target and welcome North American visitors.
Target Audience
Almost six in ten American holiday visitors are making a repeat visit to the UK, with London still the leading destination. Our close proximity to London makes it easy to visit the South East in combination with a stay in the capital, and repeat visits open up the opportunity for visitors to explore further afield. Popular activities include dining out, sightseeing and going shopping.
Campaign Package
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Targeted representation at VisitBritain North American sales mission (one-to-one meetings with over 60 US operators.
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Targeted representation at trade events, including ETOA BIM and ETOA Market Place North America
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2 x Targeted travel agent newsletters and communications – 45,000 contacts
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Targeted US trade e-newsletter – 3 themed dispatches to 300 trade contacts
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Targeted social media
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Full reports for each event, contact details and leads.
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Inclusion in itineraries and collateral distributed to operators/presentations/fact sheets.
Cost: £3,000 + VAT
Timescales: July 2025 - March 2026
Title | Content Date | Dispatch Date |
|---|---|---|
So Much History - England's Story Starts Here | 15th October 25 | 29th October 25 |
So Much to Explore - Cities, Coast and Countryside | 10th December 2025 | 7th January 2026 |
So Many Moments - Make Every Trip Extraordinary | 25th March 2026 | 8th April 2026 |