UK tourism up
New tourism figures show that the number of international visitors to the UK is up by eight per cent on the previous year.
The tourism industry, which is a major contributor to the British economy, took a downturn after the events of September 11th and the war in Iraq, but the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics indicate that the sector is recovering.
The growth was due to more visitors arriving from all parts of the world, with visits from North America up by 12 per cent, Western Europe by six per cent and the rest of the world by seven per cent compared to the same period in 2003.
Overall this year, visitor numbers are up by 11 per cent.
However, expenditure figures still lag behind the growth in visits. VisitBritain is confident that these figures will recover and points out the fact that 2004 saw the best ever August in terms of expenditure.
VisitBritain’s chief executive, Tom Wright, said: “Visitors to Britain are now exceeding levels seen prior to September 11th in terms of the number of visits, and this month, for the first time expenditure is also at a record high. Naturally, we hope that this trend continues for the rest of the year. “
Once seasonal adjustments have been made, however, the visits to the UK during the three months to August were down by two per cent on the previous quarter. In terms of the balance between tourists’ spending in the UK, and UK residents’ spending abroad, the UK ran at a £4.1 billion in the three months to August, roughly the same as the previous quarter.
