BRITAIN’S £26BN BREXIT TOURISM BOOM
TOURISTS flocking to post-Brexit Britain will fire up the economy by £26.6billion.
A record 39.7 million visitors are expected to enter the
UK this year. Every part of the country should benefit with an explosion in those coming from America and China.
Spending by tourists is forecast to be up 6.6 per cent on last year.
The bright outlook proves Brexit Britain is one of the most popular worldwide tourist destinations.
It comes on the back of a recordbreaking August and September in 2019 which saw historically high visitor numbers.
Patricia Yates, director of Visit Britain, which produced the figures, said last night: “The picture has never looked healthier for British tourism. It is one of the UK’s most valuable export industries and these results show our continued ability to attract international visitors in a fiercely competitive global market.
“We are seeing success in growing tourism from our long-haul, high-spending markets including the US, our largest and most valuable inbound market, and from markets that are crucial for our future such as China.”
During the past decade inbound tourism has grown by 33 per cent while spending has increased by 58 per cent.
The latest available figures from Visit Britain show August was a record month for both visits from abroad and overseas visitor spending with 4.1 million people arriving – a seven per cent year-on-year increase. They spent a total of £3.1billion, up 13 per cent on the same month in 2018.
The buoyant outlook for the year ahead comes soon after travel bible Lonely Planet named England one of its top destinations for 2020, ranking it second in
the world behind remote and tiny Bhutan. Its editorial said: “Once the country’s first line of defence against invaders the English coastline these days is a peaceful place where locals and visitors can enjoy more tranquil pursuits.
“Taking a bracing walk on a windswept pier, eating delicious fish and chips, searching for marine
life in rock pools, finding fossils in ancient cliffs, building sandcastles and dolphin-spotting on picturesque beaches are just some of the activities offered by the English seaside.”
Flight bookings to the UK made between December and next May are up five per cent compared to the same period a year earlier.
Trips from China and South Asia
are particularly strong, up 33 per cent and 22 per cent respectively.
When 15.4 million UK staycationers are included, the industry is now worth £127billion a year. Tourism is also a boon for employment with every 22 visits from China creating one job here.
Latest figures show Britain’s most popular attraction was Tate Modern in London with 5,868,562 visits in 2018. It was followed by the British Museum and National Gallery.
But data from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions reveals tourism is shared evenly across the UK. Canterbury Cathedral, Stonehenge,Whitby Abbey – made famous by Dracula – and Edinburgh Castle consistently feature among the most visited.
Highlights for trippers in the year ahead include the 75th anniversary ofVE Day in May.
Last year the Government pledged to prepare Britain for an extra nine million visitors a year, with a commitment to build 130,000 new hotel rooms.
Tourism minister Helen Whately said: “I am sure 2020 will be another successful year as we attract visitors keen to experience the very best Britain has to offer.”