“I Travel For” is the new message from VisitBritain, which this week launched its tourism campaign for 2018 in a bid to reach record inbound figures.

Using a series of short films and storytelling to highlight the country’s most popular landmarks and attractions, and some of Britain’s less explored destinations, the digital campaign will be promoted through social media between February and April to the UK’s largest and most valuable inbound visitor markets.

As part of the global campaign, VisitBritain is working with a number of commercial partners, including BA and Expedia, targeting countries including Australia, France, Germany, the US and its high-spending markets in China, India and the Gulf region.

“Tourism is one of the UK’s most valuable export industries, driving economic growth and creating jobs right across Britain,” said VisitBritain chief executive Sally Balcombe.

“It's also a fiercely competitive global industry and we're seizing the opportunity to build on the strong growth we have seen, showcasing that Britain is bursting with fun activities, adventure and wonderfully unexpected experiences to come and discover all year round.

“By shining a spotlight and telling the stories of Britain’s exciting and contemporary culture, innovations in food and drink, the beauty of our countryside and vibrancy of our cities, we want to inspire even more international visitors to book a trip right now.”

Overseas visits to the UK are forecast to break through the 40 million mark for the first time in 2018, reaching 41.7 million, up 4.4 per cent on 2017. Spending by overseas visitors to the UK is forecast to reach £26.9bn (US$37.5bn, €30.3bn) in 2018, up 6.8 per cent on 2017.

The ‘I Travel For’ campaign is a continuation of VisitBritain’s ‘GREAT’ campaign, which has proved a roaring success since it launched in 2012 to draw visitors to the UK beyond the London Olympics that year.

The tourism market is currently valued at £127bn (US$177bn, €143bn) a year to the British economy, with the sector creating jobs and boosting economic growth across the UK.