MUMBAI: VisitBritain, along with Universal Pictures and other key tourism agencies and local authorities have come together to promote Britain’s adventure destination.
The idea behind the partnership is to invite travelers to visit the British sites. This partnership will take world on an epic journey of Robin Hood’s Britain. VisitBritain has also launched a Robin Hood-themed microsite, which features in-depth itineraries, movie trailers, film locations, content regarding Britain so that visitors can follow in the footsteps of Robin Hood including a Hood Trail.
Robin Hood is an action-adventure film based on the Robin Hood legend, directed by Sir Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett. The movie releases in India on 11 June, 2010, in all major metros. The movie is being distributed by Paramount Films of India.
In line with the film’s release, the VB partnership has joined forces with Universal Pictures to invite tourists to become part of the motion picture experience at Robin Hood – The Movie, an exhibition of costumes, props and behind the scenes materials. The exhibition will also feature weaponry and props from the film itself and will be on display in Nottingham Castle and the Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre.
Scott said, “It was fundamental to the project that this motion picture was filmed in Britain, it was extremely important to catch the real essence and feeling only British locations in particular could achieve. This new adaptation is a Robin Hood that viewers across the world have never seen before. The only way we could achieve such a successful production was with the authenticity of the locations Britain and the East Midlands had to offer.”
VisitBritain chief executive Sandie Dawe said, “Robin Hood is an internationally recognised icon around the world with an enduring interest in his story. We know that 40% of our potential visitors would be very likely to visit places from films and thoroughly enjoy visiting film locations they see on the big screen. Robin Hood is one of the few icons who has strong links to destination roots and many people from around the world can again associate the character with Nottingham. So who better than VisitBritain and the VB partnership to promote the film with our wealth of experience in delivering world-class global promotions around the release of major blockbuster films.”
Experience Nottinghamshire tourism leader Mike Baulcombe added, “The release of Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood film is a great opportunity for us to encourage visitors from around the world to experience the home of Robin Hood, here in Nottingham and Sherwood Forest. The strength of our tourism offer combined with its Robin Hood heritage is proving to be a winning marketing tool in terms of raising Nottinghamshire’s profile and positioning us as a top national and international destination to visit.”
The VB partnership is also running a contest in its 35 markets around the world. The winners will get a chance to banquet privately at Nottingham Castle with the Sheriff, along with one-on-one archery lessons at Sherwood Forest.
