VisitEngland will be celebrating Britain’s literary stars in 2017, using fictional characters such as Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes and famous authors like Jane Austen and Enid Blyton to drive English tourism in a post-Brexit era.
With 2017 expected to be a record year for tourism thanks to a weakened pound as a result of Brexit, VisitEngland is hoping to draw extra tourism using the classic characters and locations intrinsically linked with their history.
This year marks a number of key milestones for authors and their fictional characters, with 2017 being the 20th anniversary of
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the 200th anniversary of the death of Jane Austen, the 125th anniversary of the first Sherlock Holmes collection and the 120th birthday of Enid Blyton.
Similar campaigns have already proved successful, with VisitBritain last year promoting the anniversaries of
William Shakespeare,
Beatrix Potter and
Roald Dahl among others, with the authors’ links to regions in the UK used to draw overseas tourists.
The campaign will be in operation across England, with Scotland to celebrate a Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology, while Wales will promote a Year of Legends.
