Today sees the launch of a bid to establish Britain as the short breaks destination for European travellers. VisitBritain � the authority for tourism in Britain � launches a �4million campaign to showcase the very best of 19 British cities in 11 European countries and further boost the millions of European visitors who already come here.

While Brits have been flocking to take advantage of the glorious summer weather here at home, our continental cousins will arrive this autumn to enjoy the vibrant atmosphere and cultures of UK city-life, as well as the shopping, theatre, museums and galleries, nightlife and general sightseeing which make for a great short break.

In 2002, over 14 million visitors came to Britain from the eleven countries in the campaign � Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland � arriving via the increasing number of low cost travel routes into our regional cities and gateways. Today, city breaks are the fastest growing sector in the European travel market and the signs are already good that the UK is in pole position to lead the field: nearly two-thirds of the total number of visits made this year were from Western Europe.

The 19 cities in the campaign cross the length and breadth of the UK and feature in press advertising, direct mail, roadshows and publicity, while consumer enquiries will be driven to VisitBritain�s contact centres across Europe for verbal, print and online information. A dedicated website for each country, for example www.visitbritain.com/citybreaks in the Netherlands, features special offers from over 40 partners including national and regional tourist boards, airlines, ferry operators, accommodation and hospitality providers, tour operators, and on-territory and commercial partners from Avis, American Express, British Airways and British Waterways to MG Rover, the Society of London Theatre and Sweden�s DFDS Seaways.

�Over the last few years millions of pounds have been invested into regenerating our cities,� explains Deirdre Livingstone, VisitBritain�s Head of Partner Marketing.

�With award winning attractions, newly opened hotels and our cultural reputation, we now have some of the best city destinations in Europe. Given the increasing popularity of shorter breaks, our new partnership campaign emphasises easy-to-book, value for money products and encourages visitors to spoil themselves with a well-deserved short break holiday.�

- ends - For further information, please contact: Elliott Frisby, Corporate Press Officer on 020 8563 3035, mobile: 07951 996241 More� - 2 -

Notes to Editors � Cities involved in the campaign are: Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, NewcastleGateshead, Norwich, Nottingham and Portsmouth � Industry partners participating in the campaign include: Accor UK, ACP Marketing, Aer Lingus, Air Wales, American Express, Avis Europe Ltd, Bed and Breakfast (GB), BAA plc, Berners Hotel, British Airways, British Hospitality Association, British Waterways, De Vere Group plc, DFDS Seaways, England�s North Country, Fjordline, Great British Heritage Pass, Gullivers Travel Associates/Octopus Travel, Host & Guest, Jarvis, Jet2, KLM, Leisure Pass Group, Lodge Hotel, MG Rover, Marriott Hotels, Millennium Copthorne Hotels, Moat House Hotels, Old Manor Hotel, P&O Ferries, Radisson Edwardian, Royal Hotel, Seafrance, Society of London Theatre, StenaLine BV, Thistle Hotels, Travel Inn, Trinatours, Vienna Group of Hotels, VLM Airlines and Waterscape Ltd � Last year, six low-cost air carriers between them offered 202 services from 86 European airports to 16 British destinations � Just under 7.5 million overseas visitors chose to come here for a stay of 1-3 nights in 2002 � The dedicated websites in each country are as follows:

Country URL Belgium www.visitbritain.com/citytrips Denmark www.visitbritain.dk/byferie France www.visitbritain.com/villes Germany www.visitbritain.de/citybreaks Ireland www.visitbritain.ie/citybreaks Italy www.visitbritain.com/citta Netherlands www.visitbritain.com/citybreaks Norway www.visitbritain.no/citybreaks Spain www.visitbritain.com/ciudades Sweden www.visitbritain.se/city Switzerland www.visitbritain.ch/citybreaks

� Latest figures show that in 2002 there were 24.1 million overseas visitors (6% increase compared to 2001) to the UK who spent �11.7 billion, a rise of +4% compared to 2001. In 2002, 134.9 million visits were made by UK residents to England (2.3% increase on 2001), spending �20.8 billion � a rise of 2.5% compared to 2001 � VisitBritain offers a range of marketing opportunities and services for UK operators wishing to reach overseas markets. For further details, visit the website, www.visitbritain.com/ukindustry or contact the trade helpdesk � tel: 020 8563 3186; e-mail: industry.relations@visitbritain.org � An archive of media releases, information on VisitBritain's marketing activities, around 100 print quality, free-to-download images and more details about the work of VisitBritain in promoting Britain as a destination, can be found on VisitBritain�s new online press centre, www.visitbritain.com/presscentre