Famed artist, Banksy, struck the streets of the UK again after his latest creations appeared in towns across the East of England.
Dubbed ‘The Great British Spraycation’, the works were found in traditional seaside towns across Suffolk and Norfolk, including; Lowestoft, Gorleston, Gt. Yarmouth, Cromer, and Oulton Broad.
The Great British public has been treated to works from the mysterious artist for more than two decades, so how many could you visit across the UK in just 24 hours?
Since Banksy’s latest work hit the headlines, Youth Travel brand, Contiki, has received hundreds of queries (up 167% MoM) on UK Tours dedicated to Banksy-spotting. The surge in interest has prompted the tour operator to trawl the archives, and the streets of Britain, to uncover 24 of Banksy’s most famous creations that can be viewed in a 24 hour tour. Contiki is creating a dedicated ‘Banksy 24 in 24 hours’ tour off the back of the spike in interest, which will roll out this European Autumn as part of its Detour Mini Adventures range. A dedicated page to register interest in the tour has already been created at contiki.com/uk/en/banksyin24hours
The North, East, South, and West have gotten the Banksy treatment in the past two decades. With the help of Professor Paul Gough, Vice-Chancellor of Arts at the University of Bournemouth, and renowned Banksy expert; Contiki has revealed the UK locations to see 24 of them – in 24 hours.
Contiki has a rich heritage in offering unique experiences – like local street art tours – which feature as inclusions or optional extras on many of its tours worldwide. Contiki works with local specialists on-the-ground across the world, ensuring travellers get experiences that wouldn’t be possible using Google or a Guidebook. The dedicated ‘Banksy 24 in 24 hours’ will take eagle-eyed fans the length and breadth of the country to soak up some of the most famous works from the mysterious artist. Contiki also plans to include on its tour, entry to the acclaimed Art of Banksy Exhibition, and a graffiti masterclass by Hamer, a mixed media artist based in London, who specialises in stencils and detailed pieces similar to Banksy.
Professor Paul Gough, Vice-Chancellor of Arts at the University of Bournemouth, commented:
“Banksy is the world’s most famous unknown artist, notorious for his irreverent humour and edgy art that is peppered all over the UK. He is an artist capable of creating unforgettable and powerful images that are instantly shared across social media and draw crowds from all over the world. Seeing 24 of his works in 24 hours in an urban context with Contiki is the best way to do it – to see it only in reproduction or in a gallery is like domesticating a wild animal, one loses the excitement and the edge.”
Banksy’s works have sold for over £7m in the past, but it’s also the cultural importance of his work for towns and cities he has graced. Contiki’s tour offering around the world focuses on sustainability – a topic that Banksy artwork often references – and the operator hopes that the prospect of a dedicated Banksy tour will also be centred around the preservation, and education, of Banksy’s creations in the UK.”
Donna Jeavons, Sales & Marketing Director UK & Europe at Contiki, said: “It’s been an exciting couple of weeks for lovers of Banksy, and we’ve seen a strong reaction from our travellers who are keen to see lots more of his work across the UK. What’s ironic, is the past 12-months has kept most of our travellers to staycations, instead of trips abroad – and Banksy’s ‘Great British Spraycation’ across the UKs seaside towns has helped put them on the map this summer. As a tour operator, we have lots of heritage offering unique experiences like local street art tours, which feature as inclusions or optional extras on many of our tours worldwide. People have been registering interest since the page went live, and we’re working hard behind the scenes to build the tour. We’d love to get it underway.”
