Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to attract Canadian tourists to the UK and increase the annual number of Canadians who visit the UK for tourism.

DCMS works with VisitBritain to promote visits to Britain worldwide, including from Canada, with a focus on ensuring the benefits of tourism are felt across all regions and nations.

VisitBritain works with the Canadian travel trade through campaigns, trade events and familiarisation trips to promote Britain’s nations and regions. Over the past two years, this has resulted in approximately 45 new bookable itineraries with 15 Canadian partners, increasing the range of regional tourism products available to Canadian visitors.

In September 2025, VisitBritain promoted its ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign at the Toronto International Film Festival, using film and TV locations to inspire visits to Britain. VisitBritain found that 87% of Canadian visitors considering a UK trip were interested in visiting a film or TV location.

In 2026, VisitBritain is building on this work through initiatives connecting Canadian buyers with regional suppliers, including a Manchester Spotlight in November and a familiarisation trip covering Liverpool, Chester, Wrexham, Conwy and Manchester.