VisitBritain organized UK Tourism Day on June 5 at the Osaka Expo 2025, aiming to increase tourism from Japan to Britain. The event took place at the UK Pavilion and included British tourism businesses and destinations engaging with Japanese travel trade, media, and UK government representatives. Participants ranged from destination management companies to airlines.
Workshops and seminars were held to introduce new products and experiences available in Britain, targeting their inclusion in Japanese travel itineraries. VisitBritain highlighted its global screen tourism campaign ‘Starring GREAT Britain,’ which promotes film-and-TV inspired experiences by showcasing real destinations featured in on-screen productions.
VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates commented: “It is great to see British tourism suppliers and Japanese travel trade come together on UK Tourism Day at Osaka Expo 2025, a timely opportunity to put our global screen tourism campaign ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ in the spotlight.”
Yates also noted that the day provided an opportunity to promote Britain’s hospitality and work with Japanese travel professionals to diversify itineraries. The goal is to attract more visitors through regional gateways, thereby enhancing tourism growth across different regions of Britain.
This event followed the UK National Day on May 22, where VisitBritain also promoted ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ at various locations within the expo. These activities are part of a broader strategy by VisitBritain in Japan, including trade engagement and press trips for Japanese media.
Japan remains a significant market for UK tourism. According to VisitBritain’s forecast, there will be approximately 389,000 visits from Japan this year—a 24% increase from 2024—with an expected spending of £433 million by Japanese tourists in 2025, marking a 30% rise compared to last year.
