Japan Post’s mascot, a bear called Posukuma, came to the Cotswolds to enjoy a great British summer holiday

Cotswolds Tourism were delighted to be a key destination involved in a social media campaign with VisitBritain across Japan to highlight experiences that visitors can enjoy and to drive future bookings from this key market.

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Japan Post Office, it released a series of stamps in September '21 featuring its Posukuma mascot visiting iconic landmarks and destinations, and experiencing British culture to mark the anniversary.

On the back of the stamps release VisitBritain is promoting the UK as a visitor destination in Japan, highlighting our cultural connections and messages of welcome and reassurance to provide travel inspiration, and ultimately drive future bookings. 

Posukuma arrived in the UK in style via British Airways from Tokyo to London Heathrow, was welcomed by the tourism minister & headed off on his travels. Each day of the two-week stay, saw the Bear visiting key Cotswold attractions - he explored hidden gems such as Rousham gardens, Cotswold towns like Cirencester, took a ride on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway and even had an afternoon tea at the Lygon Arms in Broadway. Posukuma’s adventures were highlighted across our social media channels, as well as those of VisitBritain & VisitBritain Japan using #POSUKUMAinUK.

Overall the campaign generated many stories, posts and fantastic images, and gave VisitBritain Japan a reach of more than 7 million impressions over 3 weeks on Twitter alone. The campaign achieved a significant boost of perception, showcasing Britain and the welcome and friendliness of British people, and reminded Japanese travellers of the strong bonds between Japan, the UK, and especially the Cotswolds. Many thanks to all the businesses that hosted the bear and also got involved on social media sharing fantastic images of Posukuma's travels.