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The Tower of London is a popular tourist destination. [Getty Images]
The goal is to attract 370,000 Russian visitors by 2020 – a 75 per cent increase compared to 2011 figures.
“It’s our ambition to welcome 370,000 Russian visitors a year by 2020,” said Patricia Yates, director of strategy and communications of VisitBritain, the British Tourist Authority.
In 2011 over 210,000 Russians visited the UK, with their expenditures tripling the average global spend and amounting to £1,450 per visit.
The advertisement campaign in Russia will be held in partnership with Russian tourism agencies and will cost the UK over £100,000.
It will include advertisements on the internet and cross-marketing campaigns.
Currently, Spain, Bulgaria and Turkey are among the most popular tourist destinations for Russians.
But according to a recent Nations Brand Index survey, Russians have an increasingly positive perception of the UK, especially when it comes to British heritage and culture.
In 2013 the UK hopes to increase the flow of Russian tourists, enticing them by several events taking place in Britain – Chelsea flower show, the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”, the opening of The Shard, the Year of Natural Scotland and the arrival of a royal baby.
Daria Chernyshova
