Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to promote British holiday destinations to tourists from India.

The government promotes Britain as a holiday destination to tourists from India through VisitBritain, the national tourist board. India is one of VisitBritain's core markets and has staff based in Mumbai and New Delhi.

VisitBritain (India) works closely with inbound UK tourism businesses to inform and educate them on the potential of the Indian market and encourage them to consider the Indian market in their offers and products.

In 2022, VisitBritain (India) undertook a paid content campaign with Jio, one of India’s largest telecom service providers and content creators, to showcase visitor experiences within Birmingham and the West Midlands in tandem with the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

As part of the wider Business and Tourism Programme (BATP), VisitBritain (India) engaged with over 1000 industry partners across India to promote Birmingham and the West Midlands using the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games to encourage longer stays.

In addition to this VisitBritain has been building on the work delivered in 2019 during the Cricket World Cup to promote the north of England, positioning Manchester as the Gateway of the North.

Later this month, VisitBritain will host educational trips for international trade buyers across Britain. The delegation of Indian buyers will visit the West Midlands.