VisitBritain, Britain’s national tourism agency, is promoting its new international ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign at the Toronto International Film Festival this week.

Bridgerton was filmed at the Holburne Museum in Bath © Visit Bristol / Evoke Pictures

Launched earlier this year, the campaign is using the powerful draw of film and tv locations and places seen-on-screen to inspire visitors to discover more of Britain. Film and TV experiences visitors can only have in Britain were showcased at a ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ reception on 8 September and at a TIFF Gala Presentation of Hamnet, featuring filming locations in Wales and Herefordshire.

Highclere Castle – the star of Downton Abbey © Highclere Castle

In addition, VisitBritain highlighted filming locations across Yorkshire, at Highclere Castle and locations in London’s West End at a screening of British film Downton Abbey: the Grand Finale (showing outside the festival). The joint events with UK government colleagues highlighted Britain’s visitor offer alongside its vibrant creative industries.

VisitBritain’s latest forecast estimates 983,000 visits from Canada to the UK this year, with Canadian visitors forecast to spend £942 million on their trips. Among those Canadian visitors considering a trip to the UK, 87% of those surveyed would be interested in visiting a film or tv location.

Alnwick Castle featured in the Harry Potter films © Alnwick Castle

VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates said: “Britain’s destinations are the real star of the show as we harness the powerful draw of screen tourism to attract Canadian visitors and drive their spending across our nations and regions, boosting local economies. Here at TIFF, celebrating the festival’s 50th anniversary, we’re using film and TV as the hook to tell the story of Britain today – showcasing our dynamic and diverse destinations and putting our warm welcome centre-stage.

“From exploring our vibrant cities, world-class attractions and stunning countryside, the backdrop to so many iconic filming locations, to enjoying our exciting contemporary culture and hospitality, we’re inspiring Canadians to put themselves in the picture, discover more and book a trip to Britain right now.”

Eryri (Snowdonia) in North Wales has appeared in many films including The World Is Not Enough (1999), First Knight (1995) and Willow (1988) © Crown Copyright / Visit Wales

With its global screen tourism campaign ‘Starring GREAT Britain’, VisitBritain wants visitors to be the co-star. From action-packed cities to romantic rural escapes, visitors are invited to step into the real-life places that inspire their favourite films and TV shows.

The 40 British films and co-productions on screen at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival will feature even more incredible UK filming locations. Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and Lincolnshire’s Burghley House sending shivers down spines in the new adaptation of Frankenstein. National Trust-managed Cwmmau Farmhouse in Herefordshire is the filming location for the childhood home of Agnes (Anne) Shakespeare in Hamnet. The Big Six Inn, a historic pub in Halifax, West Yorkshire, served as a local Yorkshire pub in The Choral.

James Bond and Mission Impossible were filmed at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire

Film and TV-loving visitors really are spoilt for choice in Britain. Here are a few favourites: In Bath, take a Bridgerton-themed walking tour and enjoy a Regency afternoon tea with a modern twist, timely with this year marking the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen. Visit Alnwick Castle in Northumberland for Harry Potter inspired broomstick lessons or head to the Warner Bros Studio Tour near London to see how the magic was made. In Manchester, explore Captain America filming locations on a tour of the Northern Quarter or visit the Black Country Living Museum in the West Midlands to see where Peaky Blinders was filmed.

Walk the beaches of North Wales featured in House of the Dragon or visit historic Wrexham and discover the city behind the football club so many fans have come to love watching Welcome to Wrexham. Relive James Bond scenes in Glen Coe and the Cairngorms National Park on a self-drive tour through Scotland. Or visit the real locations featured in Outlander, from stunning landscapes to coastal castles right across Scotland.

If you or your group would like to visit some of your favourite TV settings and filming backdrops on a tailor-made location tour of Great Britain, please do contact our friendly team today.

For more information about VisitBritain’s ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign see https://www.visitbritain.com/en.