Britain’s visitor offer will be taking centre stage in the United States (US) in May as VisitBritain leads a tourism delegation to Greater Together Los Angeles (GTLA), a flagship programme of business and cultural activity being held by the UK Government’s GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland Campaign.
GTLA is set to be the largest ever UK Government supported trade mission to the US, taking place in Los Angeles from 17-to-22 May.
Senior leaders from across the UK tourism and creative industries are joining the official GTLA programme to network and do business with leading US travel and cultural delegates, from airlines to tour operators and film studios.
VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates, who is leading the tourism delegation at GTLA, is giving welcome remarks on how the relationship between the UK and the US is strengthened by tourism and the importance of the transatlantic route. Airline seat capacity between the UK and the US is by far the *highest of any single transatlantic country pair, accounting for one in seven seats.
VisitBritain is also hosting roundtable discussions on topics including regional storytelling and premium travel to drive growth and boost spend to, and across, Britain.
The focus on tourism highlights the industry’s importance to both the UK and the US. The US is the UK’s most valuable inbound visitor market forecast to be worth £7.5 billion to the economy this year. That means that more than £1 in every £5 spent by overseas visitors in the UK is by a visitor from the US. The UK is the US’s third largest inbound visitor market after Canada and Mexico and its top overseas market. Brits made more than four million visits to the US in 2025.
VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates said:
“Our US visitors are hugely important to our tourism industry, and our economy and Greater Together LA provides a powerful platform to showcase our visitor offer, tell a compelling story of Britain and drive new business. It is also timely, as we compete for visitor spend and economic growth, to engage with cultural and industry leaders, hear from partners on motivations driving outbound travel and equip the travel trade with the knowledge and connections to sell our regional destinations.
“The historic bonds and deep friendship between the UK and the US continue to be strengthened through tourism, with the transatlantic route critical for both leisure and business travel. Growing airline connectivity and seat capacity into our regional gateways such as Manchester and Glasgow, alongside key US hubs, is great for Brits and for our American visitors. It boosts tourism, trade and cultural exchange. It strengthens our competitive visitor offer and welcome and makes it easier to explore further, spreading the economic benefits of tourism across our respective countries.”
California is the top source state in the US for visits to the UK, generating 15% of all visits. Building on the opportunities to do business VisitBritain is running an extended programme of activity in LA.
Its two‑day business-to-business and networking event, running parallel to the GTLA programme, brings British destinations together with leading US travel trade representatives. Destinations from across England, Scotland and Wales alongside British tourism suppliers are promoting their products, experiences and itineraries to senior US travel advisors and tour operators. Product and destination training sessions for US delegates about Britain’s tourism offer are also being held.
To inspire visits to the UK in the run up to, and throughout GTLA, VisitBritain is kicking off a marketing drive in the US as part of its wider ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ screen tourism campaign. Underway from early May, the digital marketing campaign in the US with Vox Media is promoting film inspired experiences and regional destinations across Britain. VisitBritain’s research shows 88% of potential visitors from the US are keen on visiting places used in filming and seen-on-screen during a trip to the UK.
The campaign culminates in an immersive ‘train-inspired’ experience on Friday 22 May open to the public at The Grove shopping and lifestyle precinct in LA, spotlighting Britain’s nations and regions as the real ‘stars’ of the show.
VisitBritain’s latest forecast is for 5.5 million visits from the US to the UK in 2026. It is forecasting that visitors from the US will spend £7.5 billion on their trips to the UK this year, up 4% on the estimate in 2025. The UK was the most popular European destination for American visitors last year.
