British-Iranian sculptor at heart of UK's blossoming plan to lure Middle East visitors

Visit Britain hopes jubilee celebrations, such as at the Tower of London, will revitalise the tourism industry

The 'Superbloom' display celebrating Queen Elizabeth's platinum jubilee at the Tower of London. Photo: The Tower of London/Twitter

Twenty million seeds planted in the moat of the Tower of London are expected to bloom over the early June weekend marking Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee in a co-ordinated display of colour.

While the unreliable British weather leaves the final outcome something of a lottery, organisers at the Tower — the 1,000-year-old fortress which houses the Crown Jewels and was the scene for Anne Boleyn’s execution — are confident that whatever the result, it will be impressive.

One person with a vested interest is British-Iranian sculptor Mehrdad Tafreshi, who has been commissioned to display his art throughout the grounds, adding a man-made element to the natural display.

The Tower has been used as a focal point for national occasions in recent times. In 2014, 800,000 ceramic poppies featured in a poignant display marking the centenary of the beginning of the First World War, and in 2018 thousands of flames were lit to mark 100 years since the war ended.

Now, it is a focal point of the jubilee celebrations marking the queen’s 70 years on the throne. It is also an opportunity for London to scream to the world that it is open for business, and tourism in particular. High on the list of tourists Visit Britain hopes will visit the capital this summer are those from the Middle East.

Tafreshi, who was born in Tehran but has spent the past 30 years taking inspiration from the Surrey countryside where he lives, told The National it was a great honour to have been asked to play a part in the celebrations as he has “always admired the honest dedication” of the queen. He has previously exhibited his work at the Chelsea Flower Show where he launches new designs each season, as well as private installations at Microsoft’s offices in Reading, Liverpool University, and the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.

His sculptures take the form of swarms and waves of dragonflies, butterflies and bees dotted around and hovering on the moat, aimed at giving visitors a sense of “upliftment, joy and wonder”.

All the various insects used in the displays are hand crafted in brass and copper — a nod to the detailed ornamental art of his Iranian heritage — so in sunny weather they will give a glistening effect. Despite the importance of the event, they took just two weeks to create and put in place.

Organisers hope the “Superbloom” event will see visitors return once more to peer over the wall, and even grab a mat and slide down into the moat, following a path through the display.

Mehrdad Tafreshi and a brass dragonfly created by him. Photo: Quist

Visitors to the Tower of London dropped 87 per cent during the pandemic and the destination was losing £100 million ($122.6m) a year.

Historic Royal Palaces, which runs the Tower, hopes its place among 2022’s major event will kick-start the tourist flow once more. It is a destination particularly reliant on international tourism as British visitors tend to avoid the queues that come with such a recognisable site.

In 2019, the tourism industry was worth £28 billion ($34.3bn). In 2020 the focus was on rebuilding the domestic market, while 2021 focused on international travellers. This year, Visit Britain is hopeful that £16bn will be reached.

Ms Yates recognises that in many key countries for visitors to Britain, such as China and America, it will take time to persuade many people to travel again. Conversely, for countries with an appetite to travel to the UK, such as the UAE, travel restrictions remained in place for a devastatingly long time. She flagged Visit Britain research earlier this year which suggests four in five people in the Gulf want to make an international trip this year.

Many other British businesses dependent on tourism have been “teetering on the brink”, according to Patricia Yates, interim chief executive of Visit Britain, the national tourism agency.

“Tourism was one of the hardest hit sectors of the economy. It closed down first, it opened up last,” she told The National. “But it was impossible to imagine that it would go on for so long and the changes would be so devastating.”

In 2019, the tourism industry was worth £28 billion ($34.3bn). In 2020 the focus was on rebuilding the domestic market, while 2021 focused on international travellers. This year, Visit Britain is hopeful that £16bn will be reached.

“But we're now at the stage where there are no travel restrictions at all,” she said. “So whether you're vaccinated or not, you can come to Britain, there's no passenger locator for them, there are no testing regimes, and we have completely thrown the borders open.”

The question is whether international travellers will arrive in sufficient numbers to replace the domestic tourists who stayed at home last year, but are fully intent on jetting away this summer.

“That's the sort of balance for the industry. Will we drive international back quickly enough?”

Preparations for the platinum jubilee celebrations — in pictures

Workers add the final parts to the Tree of Trees sculpture, part of the Queen's Green Canopy Project. The sculpture, which will stand outside Buckingham Palace for the duration of the queen's platinum jubilee celebrations, consists of 350 native British trees planted in aluminium pots. Getty Images

Thomas Heatherwick, designer of the Tree of Trees sculpture, poses in front of Buckingham Palace. AFP

Royal superfan John Loughrey jumps for joy on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London, where he is already camped out for a prime position to view the platinum jubilee celebrations. PA

Model-maker Paula Young places a Lego replica of Queen Elizabeth II in a display replicating the royal balcony scene at Buckingham Palace for the Legoland platinum jubilee display in Windsor. PA

British Union flags are on display at Kirby Estate in London. EPA

The gold state coach passes the Houses of Parliament during an early morning rehearsal through London for Sunday's platinum jubilee pageant. PA

Workers hang bunting outside a hotel in central London. Reuters

Voyager and Rivet Joint aircraft perform in the sky for the queen's platinum jubilee fly-past rehearsal in Sleaford. EPA

A view from a cockpit during the rehearsal. PA

Royal Marines drummers play for residents of Church Hill near Birmingham. The nationwide celebrations will mark the 70th anniversary of the queen's accession to the throne. PA

The 15-kilogram Queen's Platinum Jubilee coin, made with fine gold, is the largest coin made by the Royal Mint, produced in celebration of her 70-year milestone. PA

Chelsea Pensioners Ted Fell, left, and George Reid pose as they view 'The Queen's Platinum Jubilee' display by Simon Lycett at Chelsea Flower Show in London. Reuters

Union flags are displayed along The Mall in London. AP

Fiona Baxter makes Union flags at the Flying Colours Flagmakers factory in Knaresborough. Getty Images

People stand underneath Union Jack flags hanging in Covent Garden, London. Reuters

Construction work at Buckingham Palace in London before Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee. EPA

A display paying homage to Queen Elizabeth II is shown outside the Sloane Club in London, as part of 'Chelsea in Bloom'. AP

One of eight London buses given a purple makeover to celebrate the jubilee makes its way across central London. PA

Jemma Melvin poses in Fortnum and Mason, central London, with her lemon Swiss roll trifle that beat 5,000 desserts to become the official pudding of the jubilee celebrations. PA

A man has his photograph taken next to a life-size cardboard cut-out of Queen Elizabeth II displayed in a shop in Windsor. Getty Images

Flags designed by British fashion illustrator Anjelica Roselyn on display across South Molton Street in Mayfair to celebrate the jubilee. PA

People pass a shop window display commemorating the platinum jubilee in Windsor. Getty Images

A knitted figure of the queen is displayed on top of a post box in Wallasey. Reuters

Temporary structures are built around Buckingham Palace for the celebrations. Reuters

Linda Bainbridge and Miyuki Griffin put finishing touches to The Crown, Orb and Sceptre exhibit as part of 'A Festival of Flowers' at Salisbury Cathedral. PA

A glittering banner stretches across Carnaby Street shopping district in London. EPA

Lewis Wilde from Selkirk tests a gas-fuelled beacon he has made to signal the start of the celebrations, which will culminate with a four-day bank holiday in June. PA

The gold state coach stands in the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace. The coach will be used as part of the jubilee celebrations. Getty Images

Union flags decorate a street Mayfair, London. EPA

Puppet-maker Louise Jones puts the finishing touches to her group of corgis, each based on past and present royal corgis, for the platinum jubilee pageant. AP Photo

Grounds staff change bedding plants outside Buckingham Palace. Getty Images

A member of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets holding the Commonwealth of Nations' Globe on its arrival at the Tower of London. It will be on display until June 2, when it will be used to light Buckingham Palace's principal beacon. PA

Power stilt artist Bouncy Bruce performs at the final unveiling of the platinum jubilee pageant at Bafta in London's West End. Reuters

Workers place a decorative crown at the top of a flag pole facing Buckingham Palace. Reuters

Abbey Marshall Leticia Edwards looks out at the view from the Henry VII roof of Westminster Abbey, which will be open to the public for the first time for guided tours, as part of its plans to celebrate the jubilee. PA

Members of the Household Cavalry during a musical ride rehearsal at Hyde Park in London for the Royal Windsor horse show, as part of the jubilee celebration. Reuters

A gardener sows seeds into the moat surrounding the Tower of London that will grow into a 'superbloom' display to celebrate the jubilee later this year. Reuters

Gilder Claire Wright applies gold paint by hand as she works to produce a platinum jubilee commemorative beaker for Goviers, as part of its Royal Commemoratives collection. AFP

Members of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment take part in the Maj Gen's Inspection in Hyde Park. The ceremonial unit must pass the inspection to take part in state duties. EPA

To that end, at Dubai Expo the UK government launched the Britain campaign — a global campaign that encourages people to live, work, invest and travel to Britain. It is intended to showcase the best of what Britain has to offer for visitors, students and businesses.

A separate Wego campaign has focused on the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, promoting Britain as a year-round destination.

Rather than simply trying to lift the number of visitors, Visit Britain hopes instead to persuade those that do visit to stay longer. She also recognises that hotels in those areas may need to up their game to provide the luxury experience Gulf travellers demand.

“Part of the story we're telling is don't just come to London, where we know Gulf visitors are immensely loyal and come year upon year, come and explore more of the country. And obviously the message there is we hope people will stay longer, spend more and get a multi-level experience of Britain. We're a really small country but you get huge variations just a couple of hours out of London.”