British Airways and VisitBritain today announced the latest phase of the “Unexpected Britain” campaign, featuring attractive fares to encourage more Chinese travellers to visit Britain. The latest “Unexpected Britain” campaign includes amazing return fares from Beijing, Shanghai or Chengdu to the United Kingdom, starting at RMB 2,380 in World Traveller economy class and RMB 8,800 in World Traveller Plus premium economy class. The special fares above are available for booking from now until April 20, 2015, and are valid for travel between March 18, 2015 and June 19, 2015. The long travel window provides customers with the opportunity to experience all the excitement of Great Britain in the next three months. In the coming months, Britain has a range of sight-seeing and entertainment attractions in store for travellers. These include the “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” exhibition at Victoria & Albert Museum in London; the Wedgwood Visitor Centre in Stoke-on-Trent, a £34 million development programme, is going to open in April 2015; and “A Wilde Weekend” multi-arts festival celebrating Oscar Wilde in Northern Ireland from May 1 to 4, 2015. “Britain is such a vibrant destination that is home to incredible cultural heritage, modern innovations as well as marvellous shopping and sight-seeing delights, making travel there an experience full of joy and surprises. Together with the mild weather in spring and early summer, it is a great time for Chinese travellers to explore Britain,” said Richard Tams, British Airways executive vice president China. “Britain is a country with a great tradition of preserving its culture and history, but we often overlook how Britain balances this alongside world-class creativity and innovation to bring you an authentic British experience. The ‘Unexpected Britain’ campaign will give Chinese travellers an insight into the uniqueness of modern-day Britain and inspire them to explore a varied and vibrant Great Britain from the moment they step onto a British Airways flight. This campaign will show those who have never visited us before how much more there is to see & do beyond the main sights, and give others who have been before a reason to come back again to explore the surprises hidden throughout the diverse countries of England, Scotland and Wales.“ said Travis Qian, VisitBritain Country Manager, China and Hong Kong. In addition, a two-week competition called #Unexpected Britain# will be staged on the Sina Weibo and WeChat platforms of both British Airways and VisitBritain. From March 20 to April 3, 2015, British Airways together with VisitBritain will provide followers with unique insights into exceptional culinary and shopping experiences in the UK. The campaign also encourages participants to share their UK travel experiences for the chance to win special gifts. Customers are encouraged to book on ba.com or contact local travel agents early, as special fares are limited. - Ends - Notes to editors Terms and conditions of special fares offered by British Airways Offers must be booked by the midnight of April 20, 2015 and are available for outbound travel from Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu between March 18, 2015 and June 19, 2015. Limited seats available. UK destinations: London, Aberdeen, Benbecula, Belfast, Barra, Campbeltown, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Islay, Inverness, Isle of Man, Jersey, Kirkwall, Leeds Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle, Newquay, Shetland Islands, Stornoway, Tiree and Wick. Fares do not include taxes and other surcharges. Fares are subject to change of exchange rate fluctuations. Date changes permitted at CNY1200, except for the outbound journey. A fare difference and change fee can be paid to make date changes on the outbound journey. Offer cannot be combined with any other promotions or discounts. Offer subject to government approval. Other terms and conditions apply. Terms and conditions of #Unexpected Britain# competition Please visit Sina Weibo and WeChat platforms of British Airways and VisitBritain for more details. British Airways’ Sina Weibo page: weibo.com/britishairways. VisistBritain’s Sina Weibo page: weibo.com/visitbritain. About British Airways British Airways’ route network currently serves more than 179 destinations in 75 countries. The airline has been flying to mainland China for over 30 years and currently offers daily flights from Beijing and Shanghai to London, and five flights a week in summer schedule as well as three flights a week in winter schedule from Chengdu to London. Now travellers can also book flights on ba.com to travel to the UK and Europe from Chongqing, Changsha, Fuzhou, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Nanjing, Sanya, Wuhan, Guangzhou and Xiamen via Beijing, Shanghai or Chengdu on Air China, China Eastern Airlines or Hainan Airlines or via Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific or Dragonair. British Airways is investing £5 billion in new aircraft, smarter cabins, elegant lounges and new technologies to make life more comfortable in the air and on the ground. The airline operates the majority of its flights from Terminal 5, its state-of-the-art home at London Heathrow. This terminal is capable of handling 30 million customers a year and is the size of 50 football pitches. In March 2014, Terminal 5 was named by Skytrax as the Best Airport Terminal for the third year running, based on surveys of 12 million frequent travellers. It also won the Best Airport Shopping award. In October 2014, British Airways was awarded the Best Airline, Best Short-Haul Airline and Best Frequent Flyer Programme by Business Traveller for the second year in the row. For further information, please visit ba.com. British Airways press office contacts Paradigm Communications Beijing Office　　　　　　　　　　　　　Shanghai Office T: (010) 8580 0783　　　　　　　　　　T: (021) 6360 5511 Cherry Zhang　　　　　　　　　　　　　Seara Zhong E: cherryzhang@paradigm.com.hk　　　E: searazhong@paradigm.com.hk Zora Zhao　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Shaley Han E: zorazhao@paradigm.com.hk　　　　　E: shaleyhan@paradigm.com.hk About VisitBritain VisitBritain is the national tourism agency, responsible for marketing Britain worldwide and developing Britain’s visitor economy. A non-departmental public body, funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, we work with partners in the UK and overseas to ensure that Britain is marketed in an inspirational and relevant way around the world. Our partners include government agencies such as UKTI and British Council, airlines and operators, global brands such as Samsung and the English Premier League as well as the official tourism bodies for London, England, Scotland and Wales. Our priority is to deliver a four-year match-funded global marketing programme which showcases Britain around the world, attracting new visitors from the tourism growth markets of Asia and Latin America and reinvigorating our appeal in core markets such as the USA, France and Germany. This campaign aims to secure an additional £2 billion in visitor spend. For further information, please contact VisitBritain: Shanghai Office: Bonnie Hua, Tel: 021 3279 2093; Email: bonnie.hua@visitbritain.org Eva Shen, Tel: 021 3279 2064; Email: eva.shen@visitbritain.org