ABSTRACT
Britain is ranked fifth in the world for tourist earnings after the United States, Italy, France and Spain. Britain's proximity to Continental Europe makes it ideal for many long-haul travellers to combine a visit to Britain with travel to European countries. In addition to the information on closures and cancellations disseminated through the BTA's website, various national, county and regional tourist authorities, including the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland tourist authorities, sought to promote their own websites, which stressed that their regions. A typical bulletin issued by the BTA in March 2001 contained a comprehensive list of events and activities cancelled, postponed or curtailed. The temporary closure of large areas of rural Britain forced the BTA, government and privately owned marketers of tourism to Britain to radically alter their marketing approach. The uncertainties of the foot-and-mouth emergency led Britain's national and regional tourism authorities, together with the inbound tourism industry, to adopt a twin-track crisis management response.
