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VisitWiltshire Brings USA Olympians To County
31 October 2011
This autumn VisitWiltshire linked up with VisitBritain and the U.S. Olympic Committee to host a special visit to the county by U.S. Olympians and Paralympians. Seven U.S. Olympic and Paralympic champions toured the UK where one was fortunate to travel to Stonehenge, Wiltshire.
At Stonehenge, American soccer player and Olympic gold medallist, Heather Mitts gained entry into the famous stone circle. While there Mitts created a special film which will be shown on www.TeamUSA.org/BritainBound in the run up to the Olympic Games in 2012. She also took time out to have a little bit of fun showing off her
soccer skills.
The idea behind the campaign is to encourage American tourists to visit different parts of the UK when they are here before, during and after the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Heather enjoyed an afternoon at Stonehenge where she said “My most memorable experience of visiting England was juggling in front of Stonehenge. I can’t believe I was so close to the stones, and my teammates are convinced the pictures were photo-shopped. Such a great memory to take back to the U.S. and get me fired-up for the 2012 Olympics in London.”
You can read full details about Heather’s visit at www.TeamUSA.org/BritainBound. There will also be a video of her experience available to view soon.
David Andrews, chief executive of VisitWiltshire commented: “Stonehenge is one of the most recognised and iconic attractions in the UK and we were delighted to be able to welcome Heather and her team mates. I’m sure it will act as a great driver for American tourists to Stonehenge and indeed other parts of Wiltshire. It’s also great promotion for visits into the stone circle at Stonehenge, as I’m sure after seeing Heather getting up close to the magnificent stones, everyone will want to book one of these special after hours sessions.”
English Heritage looks after Stonehenge on behalf of the nation and Peter Carson, Head of Stonehenge at English Heritage, said: “London’s winning bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games stressed the rich heritage across the country and English Heritage was therefore delighted to welcome the USA Olympics Team to Stonehenge, one of the world’s most iconic ancient monuments. Both this visit and the Games are a fantastic opportunity to show America the special historic places that are waiting to be discovered in Wiltshire and around the country.”
VisitWiltshire is actively working with VisitBritain throughout 2011/2012 to maximise opportunities to promote the county to international visitors.
For more information about Stonehenge and Wiltshire visit www.visitwiltshire.co.uk.
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For media information about Wiltshire please contact Samantha Marsh or Ian Fulcher on 015395 30393, 07711 265666 or email samanthamarsh@visitwiltshire.co.uk or ianfulcher@visitwiltshire.co.uk
Notes to editors: When using the images please use the appropriate captions and credits as outlined in the title of each image.
About Team USA: Britain Bound: With the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games less than one year away, seven Team USA Olympic and Paralympic champions took a short break from their training to tour Great Britain – the host nation. While exploring the communities that will welcome the world next summer, the Team USA athletes experienced all that Britain has to offer – from the Olympic venues to the cultural and historical sites in England, Scotland and Wales. Over the next six months, they will be sharing their adventures at www.TeamUSA.org/BritainBound and through their personal Facebook and Twitter accounts. Please join Jeremy Campbell (Paralympic track & field),Henry Cejudo (wrestling), Bryan Clay (decathlon), Allison Jones (Paralympic cycling), Nastia Liukin (gymnastics), Heather Mitts (football) and Rebecca Soni (swimming) as they visit Britain and share their behind the scenes tour of the host nation with the world.
About VisitWiltshire: VisitWiltshire Ltd was established in August 2011 and is the official Tourist Board for Wiltshire. It is a private sector membership organisation representing over 450 members. VisitWiltshire's priority is to grow the county's Visitor Economy by raising awareness of the destination and generating additional tourism visits and spend. Wiltshire's Visitor Economy currently generates over £1billion and supports over 20,000 jobs.
About English Heritage: English Heritage is the government’s lead body for the historic environment in England and is responsible for protecting the best of the country’s unique legacy of historic buildings, landscapes and archaeological sites for the benefit of this and future generations. www.english-heritage.org.uk
