VisitBritain is putting its "GREAT" campaign where the rubber meets the road with retail travel agents.

A new partnership between Great Britain’s national tourism agency and Travel Leaders, a consortium of 6,000 agencies is designed to create a highly trained sales force for the U.K. The promotion will feature digital, social media, database, print and public relations initiatives to showcase Britain to inspire U.S. travelers and prepare agents to receive them.

Agent training will be an important component of the program as Travel Leaders will reach out to its 8,500 agents across the country through its website to train agents on Britain’s tourism.

Americans made 2.8 million visits to Britain in 2012 and spent $3.7 billion making the U.S. the top market in terms of value for inbound tourism. It’s also one of the top three most important markets in terms of visitor numbers.

For Great Britain the biggest hurdle lies in convincing Americans that they don’t know the destination as well as they think they do and that there’s a lot more to be discovered throughout the British Isles.

Travel Leaders Franchise Group President Roger E. Block, CTC said: “By working closely with VisitBritain, we are confident that we will build on the strong interest that exists in discovering destinations across Britain.”

VisitBritain chairman Christopher Rodrigues hailed the joint initiative.

"The U.S. remains the most important long-haul market for tourism to the U.K., both in terms of value and visitor numbers," Rodrigues said. "This joint campaign is a fantastic opportunity for us to be top of mind for travelers looking to explore the very best of what Britain has to offer.”

The promotion will reach out to consumers through Travel Leaders’ consumer website, inserts and mailings. This part of the promotion will focus on travel outside London. London doesn’t seem to need much help. According to its internal surveys London already ranks as fifth most popular international destination for Travel Leaders clients.

According to a Deloitte report commissioned by VisitBritain, London tourism industry will reach new heights in the next 12 years, predicting a vertical trajectory that will take it from a £36 billion industry this year to £77.4 billion by 2025.