VisitBritain has launched two new international advertising campaigns as it seeks to build on the momentum from last week’s record tourism figures.

Today sees the launch of ‘Sounds of GREAT Britain’, an interactive video advert which incorporates iconic British sounds – such as the pouring of a cup of tea, a black cab beeping and the chimes of Big Ben – into a reworked version of UK drum’n’bass act Rudimental’s hit song ‘Feel the Love’.

Online viewers can create their own version of the advert, by selecting the sounds they like the best and from this can plan a UK trip around the famous venues – the advert includes Buckingham Palace, Stonehenge and Shakespeare’s Globe – where they would hear the sounds.

The £2.5m global film campaign, commissioned by VisitBritain and created by ad agency Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, will run on popular websites like Youtube and Spotify, across key target markets Brazil, China, the USA, India, Gulf states and throughout Europe.

“We want to involve people in creating their own British experience – first online where they can become the director of their own bespoke tourism ad, and then in reality following their individual journey across Britain according to their own interests and inspirations,” said VisitBritain marketing director Joss Croft. “This ad is something a little bit different and we hope it conveys the humour and character of a modern, confident Britain.”

Meanwhile, a separate campaign targeting the UK’s most lucrative market for tourism – the US – was launched last week in conjunction with travel agency Expedia.

The TV ad, which will appear across American networks during prime-time viewing events including the Oscars and Sochi Winter Olympics, draws upon the parallel between fairytales of castles, knights and queens to the real world and Britain’s attractions.

'Find Your Storybook' demonstrates that, through using Expedia technology, visitors can write their own story and bring imaginings to life.

The tourism agency hopes the campaign can re-energise UK interest in the US, from where visitor numbers have fallen in recent years as travellers have become more adventurous and shifting demographics mean fewer feel connected to Britain via traditional colonial ties.