UK: Visitor numbers up in Q2

Britain received a record number of foreign visitors in the second quarter of 2017, and the number of Britons making trips abroad reached an all-time high for the time of year, official figures showed yesterday.

Some 10.75 million foreigners visited Britain for tourism or other purposes between April and June, 8% more than during 2016 and the most for any calendar quarter since records began in 1980, the Office for National Statistics said.

Britons made 19.09 million overseas trips during the same period, 1% more than in 2016 and an all-time high for the time of year, though less than in the peak July-September period which covers schools’ summer holidays.

Sterling’s fall against the US dollar and the euro since June 2016’s vote to leave the European Union has made Britain a cheaper place for foreign visitors.

There was a 20% increase in tourism — which accounts for just under half of visits — while business trips fell by 4% and those to see family and friends were little changed.

An ONS statistician said there was no evidence in the data that militant attacks in London and Manchester earlier in the year had deterred visitors.

Visits from North America were 29% higher than in 2016 at 1.47 million, though the number of visitors from Europe was up a much more modest 3% at 7.73 million.

Overall, visitors to Britain spent £6.23 billion ($8.03 billion) in the three months to June, 8% more than in 2016, while Britons’ spending abroad increased by 2% to £11.25 billion.