Cracking staycation, Gromit! Tourism bosses recruit Wallace and his dog to front campaign telling Brits to holiday at home
Wallace and Gromit are to front a new £4million campaign to persuade Brits to holiday at home.
The plasticine pair will hail the delights of drinking tea and eating cheese on a so-called ‘staycation’, instead of jetting off to sunnier climes.
But with grim wintry weather still blighting much of the country, the duo will have their work cut out to persuade people to abandon plans to go abroad in search of sun.
Animators at the Oscar-winning
studios Aardman are working on a TV advert which will air from next
month encouraging people in the UK to consider booking their holidays
closer to home.
Tourism chiefs at VisitEngland hope Wallace and Gromit will follow in the footsteps of actors Rupert Grint, Stephen Fry and Julia Walters who last year fronted a star-studded drive to persuade more people to not travel abroad.
The new £4million campaign will see the animated duo take to the road to explore the country and discover the best of the UK.
Nick Park, creator and director of Wallace and Gromit said: ‘Leisure time has always been very important to Wallace & Gromit, so it’s great to see them making this holiday choice.
‘A nice cup of tea and some tasty local cheese is always a favourite so they won’t be disappointed with their holiday in the UK.’
This campaign is the second part of Holidays at Home are GREAT, a cross-UK taxpayer-funded strategy which launched last year.
Critics have questioned why public money is being used to adverstise private holiday firms.
But Tourism minister Hugh Robertson said: ‘The first installment of the Holidays at Home campaign was a great success generating growth of £300 million. The coup of landing Wallace & Gromit for the campaign’s second push is great news.
‘Their ad will no doubt capture the imagination, encourage people to have a fresh look at what England as a holiday destination has to offer and boost domestic tourism further.’
Tourism is worth £115 billion to the UK economy and supports over 2.5 million jobs.
People in England booked more than 104million overnight stays at home last year, spending £19.5billion – up nine per cent year-on-year.
Domestic day trips in England increased by 12 per cent to 1.47 billion last year, with a spend of £48billion.
James Berresford, VisitEngland’s Chief Executive said: ‘Wallace & Gromit are bound to grab people’s attention and will be great ambassadors for holidays at home.
‘They are a quintessentially English double-act with universal appeal at home and abroad, and I’m sure will have an adventurous time discovering all this country has to offer.’
The plasticine pair will hail the delights of drinking tea and eating cheese on a so-called ‘staycation’, instead of jetting off to sunnier climes.
But with grim wintry weather still blighting much of the country, the duo will have their work cut out to persuade people to abandon plans to go abroad in search of sun.
Aardman animators are working on a new TV advert
featuring Wallace and Gromit which will form part of a £4million
campaign to persuade Brits to holiday at home
Tourism chiefs at VisitEngland hope Wallace and Gromit will follow in the footsteps of actors Rupert Grint, Stephen Fry and Julia Walters who last year fronted a star-studded drive to persuade more people to not travel abroad.
The latest push is part of the cross-government GREAT campaign to promote the UK at home and abroad
Nick Park, creator and director of Wallace and Gromit said: ‘Leisure time has always been very important to Wallace & Gromit, so it’s great to see them making this holiday choice.
‘A nice cup of tea and some tasty local cheese is always a favourite so they won’t be disappointed with their holiday in the UK.’
This campaign is the second part of Holidays at Home are GREAT, a cross-UK taxpayer-funded strategy which launched last year.
Critics have questioned why public money is being used to adverstise private holiday firms.
But Tourism minister Hugh Robertson said: ‘The first installment of the Holidays at Home campaign was a great success generating growth of £300 million. The coup of landing Wallace & Gromit for the campaign’s second push is great news.
‘Their ad will no doubt capture the imagination, encourage people to have a fresh look at what England as a holiday destination has to offer and boost domestic tourism further.’
Tourism is worth £115 billion to the UK economy and supports over 2.5 million jobs.
People in England booked more than 104million overnight stays at home last year, spending £19.5billion – up nine per cent year-on-year.
The plasticine duo replace actors including
Stephen Fry and Julie Walters who featured in last year's
holiday-at-home ad campaign
James Berresford, VisitEngland’s Chief Executive said: ‘Wallace & Gromit are bound to grab people’s attention and will be great ambassadors for holidays at home.
‘They are a quintessentially English double-act with universal appeal at home and abroad, and I’m sure will have an adventurous time discovering all this country has to offer.’