The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has teamed up with VisitBritain and the government to launch a new website designed to help tourists experience the best of the British pub.

The Pubs are GREAT website - developed in conjunction with industry publisher and platform provider Inapub - is the latest addition to VisitBritain’s high-profile GREAT marketing campaign.

Visiting a pub is the third most popular activity for overseas visitors , with four out of ten heading to a pub at some point during their stay. With this in mind, the website has been designed to help visitors find a quality pub close to the area or attraction they are visiting.

The new service covers a range of visitor attractions under the headlines: Heritage, Culture, Natural Beauty, Sport and Music - helping visitors pinpoint popular pubs nearby.

“I was proud to be asked to announce the latest stage of the 'Pubs are GREAT' campaign, a website that will play a crucial role in signposting those visiting British tourist attractions to high quality local pubs,” said community pubs minister Brandon Lewis during last week’s launch at the Phoenix, in London’s Victoria.

“We are not only helping visitors to experience a truly British institution as part of their visit, but the local community also benefits through the increased trade.”

The British Beer & Pub Association represents large swathes of the brewing and pub sector - its members account for 96 per cent of the beer brewed in the UK and around half of Britain’s 50,000 pubs – and the new initiative is expected to provide access to a fresh stream of pubgoers eager to soak up the experience.

“Pubs are an essential part of the tourism offer in Britain, much loved by overseas visitors and all of us who increasingly holiday at home, so it is wonderful that they now play such are an important part in the GREAT campaign,” added BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds.