Visitbritain News Page 5
VisitBritain opens Saudi Arabia outpost
Britain’s national tourism body VisitBritain has opened a new office in Riyadh to attract more visitors from Saudi Arabia to the UK, making it the first Western tourism board to establish a presence in the country.
Record visitor figures for UK as falling pound drives growth
New figures out today show a record-breaking November for inbound tourism visits and spend to the UK. There were 3.1 million inbound visits to the UK in November 2016, up 17 per cent on the same month in 2015. Overseas visitors spent £1.7 billion, up 14 per cent.
British tourism set for Chinese New Year bonanza
Britain could expect a boost in visits from China as Chinese New Year gets underway from Saturday. Chinese New Year is a prime time of travel for the Chinese and Britain is gearing up to host some of the largest celebrations outside Asia.
Ex-Virgin Atlantic chief Ridgway to head VisitBritain
UK culture secretary Karen Bradley has appointed Steve Ridgway as the new chair of the British Tourist Authority, which includes VisitBritain and VisitEngland, while and Denis Wormwell will take up the role of chair of the VisitEngland advisory board.
UK regions draw ever more tourists
International tourists are travelling across English regions in record numbers, and they are spending more too. Official statistics released today show that in the first nine months of 2016 there were a record-breaking 12.2 million visits to English regions outside London, up four per cent compared to the same period in 2015.
VisitBritain predicts positive 2017 for UK tourism
Forecasts from VisitBritain, the national tourism agency, indicate that 2017 is set to be another record year for inbound tourism to the UK. Spending by overseas visitors is predicted to reach £24.1 billion in 2017, an eight per cent increase on spending this year which is expected to top out at £22.3 billion.
VisitBritain signs Hainan Airlines partnership to boost Chinese visitor numbers
VisitBritain has celebrated its milestone partnerships with Hainan Airlines and Alitrip, Alibaba group’s tourism arm, in China. Both partnerships have been established to attract more Chinese visitors to Britain. UK secretary of state for culture, media and sport Karen Bradley and VisitBritain director Patricia Yates earlier met with senior executives from Hainan Airlines and Alitrip as part of the fourth UK-China People to People Dialogue.
Britain breaks August visitor number record
New figures released today show that it was a record-breaking August for inbound tourism to the UK with 3.8 million visits, up two per cent on the same month last year. Overseas visitors to the UK spent £2.6 billion in August, four per cent up on the same month last year. August saw strong growth from North America, which includes the US – the UK’s most valuable visitor market – with 510,000 visits, up 13 per cent compared to the same month last year.
International visitors boost UK tourism sector
International visitors spent an extra £800 million across the nations and regions of Britain in the last year as a result of work by the national tourism agency VisitBritain, latest figures show. This means that every £1 invested in VisitBritain’s activities resulted in an overseas visitor spending £23 in Britain. Domestic visitors spent an additional £97.2 million in England as a result of VisitEngland’s 2015 ‘Holidays at Home are GREAT’ campaign.
Brits break day tripping tourism record in August
New figures from VisitEngland show that Brits spent a record-breaking £5.5 billion on day trips across England in August, the highest spend recorded for a single month since the day-tripping survey began in 2011. August also saw the highest number of day trips taken in any month since 2012, with 151 million day trips across England, up 14 per cent on August 2015.
Record month for UK tourism in July
Figures released today show that July was the highest month ever for inbound tourism to the UK with 3.8 million visits, up two per cent on July last year. Overseas visitors to the UK spent £2.5 billion in July, four per cent up on the same month last year. The Office for National Statistics figures show that it was a record July for inbound visits from EU countries, the UK’s largest visit-generating region, with 2.3 million visits, three per cent up on last year.
UK government unveils Tourism Action Plan as prices fall
The UK government had unveiled a series of measures designed to boost the domestic tourism sector. Branded the Tourism Action Plan, the agenda aims to capitalise on the weaker pound currently making trips cheaper for overseas visitors. The pound has fallen from $1.49 on the day of the Brexit referendum in July to lows of $1.28 in July and August.