VisitBritain announces Karan Johar as its Goodwill Ambassador

Company Brief

Bangalore, May 16, 2011

VisitBritain, Britain's national tourism agency, today announced the launch of its Goodwill Ambassador programme in conjunction with its four-year global 'Britain You're Invited' campaign. Karan Johar, popular Bollywood filmmaker, as well as Asha Gill, a widely acclaimed Asian television presenter, and Alex Hua Tian, a leading 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games Event Riding candidate, were introduced as "Goodwill Ambassadors" by Sandie Dawe, VisitBritain's Chief Executive. The goodwill ambassadors later joined VisitBritain to share their stories and association with Britain.

The marketing campaign, supported with a public-private partnership funding of £100 million aims to attract and invite visitors from all over the world to visit and explore the destination. Apart from the upcoming mega-events such as the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Britain has much to offer visitors from India and the rest of the world.

Speaking at the launch, Sandie Dawe said, "Britain welcomed over 366,000 Indian visitors in 2010, recording a 34% increase over 2009. Indian travellers spent approximately £358 million during their travel to Britain, registering a growth of 33% over 2009. As one of our key growth markets in Asia, India was fittingly selected for the launch of our ambassador programme."

Speaking at the event, Laurence Bresh, VisitBritain's Marketing Director said, "We are delighted to have these ambassadors join us in our campaign to invite the world to celebrate with us in Britain. They are great representatives in their respective fields, and we hope that potential visitors will find their personal stories of Britain highly inspiring. We are grateful that they've come onboard on a goodwill basis to share their stories with the rest of the world."

Asian Goodwill Ambassadors

The three Asian goodwill ambassadors all share one thing in common - they were all, in some way, inspired by Britain in their respective fields.

Karan Johar's career was shaped by his early films, some of which were filmed in Britain and gained massive success in India and worldwide. The successful filmmaker said, "Britain has a certain soul that film cannot capture; you have to be there to experience it. No matter where you're from or what your likes and dislikes are, Britain has not just a little something, but a lot for everyone. Being a creative person, what I appreciate the most is the importance, respect, and attention given to the arts, be it West End theatre, the museums, the art galleries, or individual street performers, we all have a place here."

Meanwhile, Asha Gill, who began her career in Britain's media industry and eventually gained fame as a veejay on Channel , is drawn to Britain's music scene. She said, "Music is such a powerful voice in Britain. Britain is one of the best countries for the vast amount of music venues that you can actually go to, from outdoor music festivals, to clubs or your local pubs, you're never short of a good night out, whether it's in the arts or the music world."

Olympic Chinese event rider Alex Hua Tian, who currently trains and lives in Britain, really sees the destination as the home of his sport, Eventing. "This is a wonderful opportunity to promote the best that Britain has to offer, and especially the thrilling sport of Eventing, which take place in the most beautiful settings throughout Britain. The 2012 London Olympics equestrian events are being held at Greenwich Park - what a wonderful location," he said.

For further information, please contact:

VisitBritain

Sumathi Ramanathan

Tel: +65-96303386

Email: sumathi.ramanathan@visitbritain.org