The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has announced a new collaboration with VisitEngland to spotlight the appeal of pubs during English Tourism Week 2015.

As well as being popular with Brits, visiting a pub is the third most popular activity for overseas visitors, with four out of ten heading to a pub at some point during their stay. As the lead body representing Britain’s brewers and pubs, the BBPA has pledged to encourage its members to take part in Tourism Week 2015, which runs from 14-22 March.

The tie up between the two sectors follows the recent launch of the Pubs are GREAT website, a joint initiative between the BBPA and VisitBritain designed to help tourists experience the best of the British pub.

With tourism worth £106bn to the UK economy and employing approximately 2.6 million people, the incentives for pubs to tap into this market are obvious. Pubs are being encouraged to embrace English Tourism Week in a number of ways, such as creating all-English menus with locally sourced produce, as well as running themed quiz nights and music events.

“With great hospitality, accommodation and entertainment, pubs are right at the heart of English Tourism,” said BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds. “Pubs now serve around one billion meals every year and offer 50,000 rooms. The BBPA will be encouraging all our members to celebrate English Tourism week in 2015, and offer advice on how they can get involved.”

More information on English Tourism Week, including event ideas and an online toolkit including logos, posters and flyers can be found on the official website – www.englishtourismweek.co.uk