By Jill Innamorati-Varley
From The Beatles to Bond, Beatrix Potter to Harry Potter, Mary Quant to Vivienne Westwood, VisitBritain, the UK’s national tourism agency, celebrated five decades of promoting Britain as a tourism destination in Australia last week at a black tie dinner at Sydney venue Simmer on the Bay.
Attended by former British High Commissioner to Australia, Helen Liddell, and VisitBrittain CEO, Tom Wright, the event celebrated the 50th anniversary of the opening of the British Travel Centre in Young Street, Sydney, by then British High Commissioner to Australia, Lord Carrington.
The opening of the centre was considered a significant move at the time and acknowledged the strong ties between Australia and Britain as the burgeoning travel boom began to take shape.
“This is an incredible landmark, signifying the fantastic camaraderie between these two great nations,” said VisitBritain country manager – Australian and NZ, Judy Watkins. “The desire for Australians to experience a holiday in Britain is greater than ever. Currently totalling 957,000 visits year annually, we are confident of breaking the one million barrier before 2012.”
In recognition of this milestone, VisitBritain has created a dedicated area on its website chronicling the best of British personalities, places and tourism experiences from 1958 to the present.
