DAVID BECKHAM TO HEAD UP CAMPAIGN TO BOOST BRITISH TOURISM

June 24, 2001Jun 24, 2001, 11:00 PM GMT+1

England football captain David Beckham is to spearhead a drive to persuade tourists to return to Britain. The £14 million campaign, to be launched with the start of the football season in August, is being mounted by the British Tourist Authority following the foot and mouth epidemic. The Manchester United star has already pledged his support and the BTA is currently negotiating with his agent.

Other stars who have signed up include Sir Paul McCartney, Gary Lineker, Sir Nigel Hawthorne and Hugh Grant, and former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell will also feature. Five times Olympic rowing gold medallist Sir Steven Redgrave filmed a message of support today. “When I get up at dawn to do early morning training, there is no other place on earth I would rather be,” he asserted.

Jo Leslie of the BTA is expecting the campaign to be seen by over 160 million people. Under a £2.8 million deal with the Premiership, images promoting Britain will be shown at the start and end of matches televised in about 100 countries. “The Premiership is one of the best-known brands in the world and it presents a superb opportunity to promote the country,” she said.

In April, just 719,000 people visited the British Isles, a 21 per cent fall on last year’s figures, and it is thought that foreign visitors now see Britain as the “leper of Europe”.

The england captain is to extol the virtues of his country in a bid to boost tourism numbers

Also slated to appear is Geri Halliwell who did her bit for Labour during last month's election campaign

Sir Steve Redgrave has already recorded the message: "When I get up at dawn to do early morning training, there is no other place on earth I would rather be"

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