Interview: VisitBritain CEO on Being a Tourism Catalyst

[gallery ids="148287,147823"] Editor’s Note: Skift has started a new series of interviews with CEOs of destination marketing organizations where we discuss the future of their organizations and the evolving strategies for attracting visitors. Read all the interviews as they come out here. This continues our series of CEO interviews that began with online travel CEOs in Future of Travel Booking (now an e-book), and continued with hotel CEOs in the Future of the Guest Experience series. VisitBritain is the organization charged with marketing England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in partnership with the individual countries’ and cities’ tourism boards. The organization is in the midst of a new campaign that highlights attractions outside of well-known cities. Since the UK eased visa processes for Chinese travelers in 2014, VisitBritain has been heavily focused on attracting Chinese travelers and preparing British businesses to cater to the high-spending tourists. It has also doubled down on its digital marketing initiatives including, most recently, a blog on Tumblr. VisitBritain appointed Sally Balcombe as CEO in July 2014 following the departure of Sandie Dawe, who held the role for five years. Balcombe built her career in the consumer travel industry, filling roles such as managing director of British Airways Holidays and the specialist sun division at TUI, as well as commercial director of Opodo and chief marketing officer at Travelport. Her strong grasp of digital marketing and partnerships played a significant role in her selection. Skift recently spoke with Balcombe about her new role, how digital channels are changing VisitBritain's marketing priorities, and what she would do with ten times more funding. An edited version of the interview follows: Skift: Travelers today are relying more on their mobile phones, researchi