Launch of Visit Britain’s New Advert: Featuring Trains, Dragons and Automobiles
Move over, Hollywood – Britain proves it is one of the biggest film sets in the world with a slick, star-studded, action-packed promotional film that showcases just how many blockbusters have been filmed in the country. This movie-style promo will also change perceptions among certain global audiences, film fans and casual tourists, who may be unaware of the quality and scale of blockbuster and high-end TV productions that have used Britain as a film location, from Jurassic Park to House of the Dragon.
Kicking off by Tower Bridge in London with Spider-Man: Far From Home, the promo film shows an unsuspecting tourist on a tour bus surrounded by the dramatic action taken from the film clip of that scene. The scenes with the tourist are filmed in a way that makes it appear as though all this action from the Spider-man film at Tower Bridge is going on around her as she takes pictures on her phone. The promo film then zips across to more stunts in Edinburgh, the Highlands, Wales, and other British locations, cleverly blending real-life tourist spots with scenes from well-known films shot in the same places. It features clips from films such as Mary Poppins Returns, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Notting Hill, House of the Dragon, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Harry Potter
Why Visit Britain is Investing in Screen Tourism Strategy
Visit Britain’s campaign promotional film – Starring GREAT Britain: The Movie, launched at the end of January with much industry fanfare. Using the power of the many blockbuster films that have graced the country, the body has one eye on the lucrative international tourist market it is looking to capture. This global screen tourism campaign from the national tourism agency is part of Visit Britain’s renewed focus on inbound tourism, which is estimated to be worth £32.5 billion in visitor spending in 2024.
VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates emphasised the campaign’s importance: “Britain’s destinations are the real star of the show as we harness the powerful draw of screen tourism to attract international visitors and drive their spending across our nations and regions, boosting local economies. Using film and TV as the hook, we’re telling the story of Britain today, showcasing our dynamic and diverse destinations and putting our welcome centre stage.”
At just four minutes, Starring GREAT Britain is an adrenaline-packed mini feature film and a powerful reminder of Britain’s cultural and cinematic soft power on the global stage. By leveraging star wattage, it aims to attract set-jetters, tourists, and film fans willing to travel to visit iconic locations.
The Making of Visit Britain’s Film Tourism Campaign
The campaign film is more than just a montage of famous scenes; Visit Britain needed something that matched its ambition for the screen tourism market, and briefed Pablo, a London-based creative agency. Working with celebrated director Tom Hooper- the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind The King’s Speech and Les Misérables – they produced a film that leans into the signature British style humour, and cleverly flips between tourists reacting to or appearing to be part of the action and stunts in the clips from featured blockbusters. Also as the film moves from one location to the next, they make sure it overlaps with each scene feeding into the next with clever transitions, so it feels part of one whole story.
The campaign film is more than just a montage of famous scenes; Visit Britain needed something that matched its ambition for the screen tourism market and briefed Pablo, a London-based creative agency. Working with celebrated director Tom Hooper – the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind The King’s Speech and Les Misérables – they produced a film that leans into the signature British-style humour and cleverly flips between tourists reacting to or appearing to be part of the action and stunts in the clips from featured blockbusters. As the film moves from one location to the next, each scene seamlessly transitions into the next, creating a continuous, cohesive narrative.
Pablo London executive creative director Dan Watts on the creative: “Great Britain really is a creative highlight when it comes to the movies and shows that we all know and love.. Whilst A-listers get their fair share of the spotlight, it’s been a cinematic thrill to remind everyone of the diverse stage that lets them tell their stories. Working with Tom Hooper, nine major studios and VisitBritain has been an epic journey – we hope it encourages people across the globe to take an epic journey across Britain, for themselves.”
The Visit Britain advert starts with a blockbuster-style bang, featuring one of the most iconic views in the world—Tower Bridge on the River Thames—with Spider-Man: Far From Home. It includes nods to Jurassic World, a hilarious scene of a couple trying to enjoy cream tea as a dinosaur crashes through a greenhouse, a family dodging a dragon from House of the Dragon stealing their ice cream, and a birdwatcher spotting Tom Cruise parachuting with the memorable line: “Not him again.”
Visit Britain’s senior brand and deputy marketing director, Emma Wilkinson, summarised the campaign’s objective as part of its 2025 repositioning plan: “Britain is this incredible real-life film set, and the creative industries are booming in Britain right now,” Wilkinson said.
She added:“How can we take Britain’s amazing creative industries, the talent on screen and behind the camera, and our incredible destinations, and encourage visitors to see London—but also to explore beyond it?”
Positioning the UK as a Global Film Tourism Destination
The Starring GREAT Britain campaign is part of the UK Government’s GREAT campaign, developed in collaboration with the national tourism boards of England (VisitEngland), Scotland (VisitScotland), Wales (Visit Wales), and London & Partners. Visit Britain also worked with leading studios including Disney, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, STUDIOCANAL, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros., who are credited in the film. As part of the campaign’s rollout, regional tourism boards are using the film to directly target the screen tourism market.
The campaign is likely to be closely watched by other tourism agencies, as the UK already has one of the more developed markets in this sector. Tourism boards will be looking to take lessons on the strategy from Visit Britain as it continues to roll out over the year, to see how films can be successfully used to reposition a country’s appeal in the competitive yet lucrative screen tourism market.
UK Screen Tourism Locations Featured in the Campaign
- London: Shepperton Studios (Mary Poppins Returns), St Paul’s (Mission: Impossible – Fallout), Kenwood House (Notting Hill), Portobello Road (Paddington), the Houses of Parliament and the Thames (Sherlock Holmes), and Tower Bridge (Spider-Man: Far From Home).
- Elsewhere in England: Headcorn Aerodrome, Ashford, Kent (Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason), West Wycombe Park, Buckinghamshire (Bridgerton), Cragside, Northumberland (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), the Lake District, Cumbria (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning), Ullswater, Cumbria (Paddington 2), and Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire (Succession).
- Wales: Anglesey, North Wales (House of the Dragon).
- Scotland: Edinburgh and the Lowlands (F9), and Loch Shiel in the Highlands (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
