Visit BritainTo Take The World On An Epic Journey

12 April 2010

Visitbritain Partnership To Take The World On An Epic Journey Of Robin Hood’s Britain

Celebrating the release of ‘Robin Hood’, the Britain based film epic staring Russell Crowe as the legendary outlaw, national tourism agency, VisitBritain and Universal Pictures along with other key tourism agencies and local authorities (the VB partnership) have come together to maximise exposure for the film, Nottingham, Sherwood Forest and the great British filming locations.

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 also features weaponry and props from the film itself and is now on display in Nottingham Castle and the Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre.

Robin Hood opens in cinemas in New Zealand on 13th May. One scene from the new epic adaptation was filmed on location in the East Midlands along with other locations around Britain such as Pembrokeshire and the Ashridge Estate in Hertfordshire.

Ridley Scott, the film’s director, 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 exhibition will give visitors the opportunity to really get up close and personal with the film and feel part of the production itself, along with understanding the importance of the surroundings we filmed it in.

“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.”

The website http://visitbritain.co.nz/robinhood features movie trailers, film locations and content regarding Britain so that visitors can follow in the footsteps of Robin Hood including a ‘Hood Trail’.

Sandie Dawe, chief executive VisitBritain 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.”

Mike Baulcombe, tourism leader at Experience Nottinghamshire, 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 global media attention we’re already getting speaks for itself.”

There are plans for a ‘Robin Hood Month’ in May to celebrate the release of the film. This will include a medieval re-enactment, Robin Hood Pageant, Nottingham city dressing, children’s festival and the launch of a Robin Hood beer. The VB partnership are also providing a unique competition opportunity in it’s 35 markets around the world for someone to banquet privately at Nottingham Castle with the Sheriff, along with one-on-one archery lessons at Sherwood Forest.

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