From the white cliffs of Dover to the lochs of Scotland, Great Britain has so much to offer tourists. Yet for many travellers, the only place they see is London.
While the UK capital is fantastic, tourists are missing out by not venturing beyond the M25 – and the regions are failing to benefit from the economic benefits that come from additional visitors, too.
Tourist board VisitBritain is tasked with encouraging people to do just that, and one of its major campaigns is “Starring GREAT Britain”, which highlights the real-life destinations featured in movies and TV shows shot there.
Launched in January 2025, VisitBritain has a map of all the filming locations you can stop at, as well as suggested itineraries split by region. For example, the Scottish Highlands itinerary takes you to scenic spots as seen in Outlander, The Diplomat and Downton Abbey.
The UK is also a popular spot for film crews, so the page is constantly being updated following new launches like Wuthering Heights earlier this year and will be added to after the new Harry Potter series comes out.
Great Britain on screen
At World Travel Market in London, VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates told Euronews Travel about the campaign.
“It’s absolutely essential to what we do to get visitors to explore more outside of London, and we do that in two ways,” she said.
“One is the practicality – we’re a small island, travel is really easy. It’s a couple of hours to Manchester or Liverpool, or you can fly into Manchester, then it’s three hours up to Newcastle and Scotland.
“The second way is, of course, why should you go, compelling storytelling. I would say ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ has shown that we can do that using the power of film.
“What we’re seeing is that every region has a story to tell. And the tourism industry is coming in behind us and building tourism product that’s bookable for international visitors.”
Set-jetting has been a major travel trend for years now, with destinations seeing big boosts in visitor numbers thanks to shows and films like Game of Thrones, The White Lotus, and Dune.
Tourism has a distribution problem
Many European countries are battling with problematic concentrations of tourists in cities that just can’t handle any more visitors, leading to protests from locals.
While London can handle the number of tourists it currently sees, VisitBritain is careful to not send people to smaller destinations that are reaching their limit.
“It’s absolutely imperative that we deliver tourism that benefits businesses, but also benefits local communities, and that is forefront in our minds,” Yates added.
“We do that by looking at where we send visitors, making sure we’re promoting places that have the infrastructure, have the capacity and want visitors at that time of year. And we don’t promote places that don’t want visitors and that are feeling the pinch a bit.”
Like all tourism boards, VisitBritain also wants to attract “good” visitors.
“It is someone that comes and explores and wants to know more about a destination, and it is someone who spends longer and takes time,” she said.
“I think that is a trend that we’re seeing with all international travel. We all want that emotional, personal connection and time to slow down a little.”
Head to England’s north east
Aside from all of the set-jetting itineraries, Yates highlighted the north east of England as somewhere to add to your must-visit list.
The historical theme park Kynren just opened there in July, and sees 1,200 local performers telling the story of England.
Plus, for Potterheads, the stunning Alnwick Castle in Northumberland is where Harry Potter learned to ride a broomstick.