In the run up to the release of new action adventure film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, VisitBritain has launched an international film tourism campaign to showcase why Britain is a ‘legendary’ tourist destination.

The six-week ‘Where Stories Become Legends’ digital campaign, a non-commercial partnership between VisitBritain and Warner Bros. Pictures, inspires people to book a King Arthur-themed holiday to Britain using #OMGBLegends (Oh My Great Britain ‘Home of Legendary Moments’).

The campaign features an exclusive behind-the-scenes video of writer/director/producer Guy Ritchie, writer/producer Lionel Wigram, and the film’s stars Charlie Hunnam and Jude Law, on location talking about the epic British landscapes used in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and the emotions they inspire.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword was filmed at Windsor Great Park and the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley in England, Snowdonia in Wales and Isle of Skye and the Highlands in Scotland.

VisitBritain Director of Marketing Clare Mullin said: “From watching the sunset from the Old Man of Storr on the Isle of Skye, to walking in King Arthur’s footsteps in majestic Snowdonia, to retracing his story at Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, Britain’s epic scenery, ancient history and magical landscapes have the power to transform our holiday experiences into the stuff of legends.

“Our collaboration with Warner Bros. Pictures on King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is a fantastic opportunity to showcase to a global audience of millions the legendary experiences only available in Britain, inspiring people to book a trip right now to discover their own epic stories.”

Llyn Gwynant, Snowdonia, Wales © 2017 Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved

Janet Redler, Chief Executive of Janet Redler Travel & Tourism, added: “We know from our own experience just how important film and TV tourism is becoming, as we see an ever increasing number of people travelling to Britain to follow in the footsteps of their favourite movie characters. From Poldark and Downton Abbey to Game of Thrones and now King Arthur, Britain as a TV and film location has so much to offer visitors.”

‘Where Stories become Legends’ kicks off with a six-week digital advertising campaign in Australia, France, Germany and the US, Britain’s four largest and most valuable inbound markets. The media campaign promotes #OMGBLegends content online across Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, including VisitBritain’s first Snapchat lens – inspired by the film.

Films and TV are powerful motivators for travel, with VisitBritain’s research showing that more than a third of all potential visitors to Britain want to visit places they have seen on screen. If you or your group would like to enjoy your own tailor made film or TV location tour of Britain, contact Janet Redler Travel & Tourism today.

Experience King Arthur’s Britain

Britain offers a wealth of opportunity for a King Arthur-inspired adventure, taking in ancient historic sites with claims to both the real-life legend and the dramatic locations that formed the backdrop for the film.

• In Cumbria lies the rumoured site of King Arthur’s Round Table, a Neolithic earthwork henge, dating from about 2000 BC, but much later believed to be King Arthur's jousting arena. Legend has it that Cumbria’s capital Carlisle was King Arthur’s Camelot (his headquarters), where Arthur and his adviser Merlin would have made use of the Roman fortifications.
• From Carlisle, take a trip to nearby Hadrian’s Wall and visit Birdoswald Roman Fort which is thought to be where Arthur’s final Battle of Camlann was fought. For a true taste of the battlefield, visit between April and September 2017 to see the brand new wall-wide exhibition of Roman Cavalry.
• The Great Hall of Winchester in Hampshire is, according to legend, home to the actual round table around which King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table met.
• Head to the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley to see locations where sequences in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword were captured, including King Arthur’s cave, filmed at the prehistoric cave standing in the shadow of Great Doward.
• The iconic Windsor Great Park also features in the film. No stranger to film crews, the park has formed a backdrop for films including the Harry Potter film series, Snow White and the Huntsman and World War Z.
• The Quiraing walking track on the Isle of Skye in Scotland is another stunning filming location in the new movie.
• In Edinburgh, visitors can walk up Arthur’s Seat overlooking the historic city stand where King Arthur and his knights may have once stood.
• In Wales two lakes, Llyn Llydaw and Llyn Ogwen, claim to be the watery resting place of Arthur’s sword, which was so powerful it had a name - ‘Excalibur’ in English and ‘Caledfwlch’ in Welsh. Both are in the Snowdonia National Park in North Wales, and while Llydaw is inaccessible, Llyn Ogwen is popular with walkers.
• Head to the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, and pay homage to the warrior at Bedd Arthur, a set of standing stones said to mark Arthur’s final resting place.