Visitbritain News
US visitors continue to drive UK tourism
Latest figures released by VisitBritain show strong growth from markets including the US, Germany and the United Arab Emirates in the first quarter of 2016, underpinning the best ever first quarter for total inbound visits. The Office for National Statistics results show that from January to March this year visits from the US, the UK’s most valuable visitor market, grew by nine per cent to 542,000 compared to the same period last year.
VisitEngland reveals record breaking tourism spend
Latest figures from VisitEngland show a record-breaking first quarter for the amount spent on overnight domestic holiday trips in England. Visitors spent £1.8 billion from January to March, up 23 per cent on the same period last year. The number of domestic overnight holiday trips also set a new record for a first quarter with 7.3 million visits, up ten per cent compared to the same period in 2015.
Rugby World Cup drives antipodean tourism to UK
On the back of a report this week showing the Rugby World Cup 2015 was the most economically-successful ever, figures out from VisitBritain show double-digit growth in the number of visits from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa from October to December last year. Visits from New Zealand to the UK increased by 52 per cent to more than 40,000 with the Kiwis spending more than £63 million during this period, more than twice as much as in 2014.
China drives growth in UK visitor numbers
Records have been set in 2015 for inbound visits with strong growth from Britain’s major inbound markets including the US and Europe and double digit growth from newer markets China and the United Arab Emirates. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show stellar growth from China with visits up 46 per cent on 2014 to 270,000, and spend up 18 per cent to £586 million, moving China into the UK’s top ten most valuable inbound markets.
UK breaks tourism records in first quarter of 2016
Figures out today show that the first three months of the year have set a record for inbound visits to the UK. The Office for National Statistics figures show visits from January to March were up six per cent on the same period last year to 7.36 million, with visitors spending £3.64 billion. Strong growth was seen in particular from EU countries with 5.27 million visits, up seven per cent on the first three months of 2015 and setting a record first quarter.
Record breaking tourism figures from VisitBritain as Obama arrives
New figures out today show that a new February record has been set for the number of international visits to the UK, up eight per cent on the same month last year, with spend also up six per cent. The Office for National Statistics figures show that 2.25 million visits were made in February 2016 with visitors spending £1.08 billion.
VisitBritain betting on social media bonanza during Obama visit
Britain as a tourism destination will be in the global social media spotlight with the arrival of US President Barack Obama next week. President Obama has the highest number of Twitter followers and Facebook fans of any world leader with 73 million followers and 48 million fans respectively.
New head of business travel at VisitBritain
VisitBritain and VisitEngland have announced the appointment of a new head of business visits and events, Chris Foy. Foy joined VisitBritain in 2003 and has held a variety of senior roles within the organisation including most recently as head of nations and regions.
Records broken for number of international visits to UK in January
New figures out today show that a new January record has been set for the number of international visits to the UK, up six per cent on the same month last year. The Office for National Statistics figures show that more than 2.5 million visits were made in January 2016 with visitors spending £1.28 billion.
UK inbound tourism numbers break records in 2015
New figures out today show that 2015 set a new record for inbound tourism to the UK with 35.8 million visits, four per cent up on 2014 and the sixth consecutive year of growth. Comparing growth over the last five years shows that there were six million more visits in 2015 than 2010, an increase of 20 per cent. Visitors spent £21.8 billion in the UK last year in line with 2014’s record breaking figure.
Engagement programme underway for Discover England Fund
More than 100 representatives from the travel industry across England attended the first in a series of sessions launching earlier as a regional engagement programme for the new £40 million Discover England Fund got underway. The session was the first of six to be held across the country throughout February and March led by Sally Balcombe, VisitEngland/VisitBritain chief executive, who will be setting out ambitions for the fund’s delivery, the high-level criteria for potential bidders to consider and suggested timeframes for its phased implementation.
British Tourist Authority unveils spending priorities
The British Tourist Authority has set out its priorities and how it will structure to deliver on these, following the funding settlement for tourism in the Comprehensive Spending Review. The plans include how to distribute the new £40 million Discover England Fund and the increased funding for the UK government’s GREAT campaign.