British tourism returns to pre-2001 levels
Britain’s visitor economy has finally returned to pre-2001 levels, according to figures unveiled today.
Based on available 2005 data, the value of Britain’s visitor economy is now estimated at £85 billion which, accounting for inflation, places it £600 million ahead of its worth in 2000.
The figure was released today to coincide with the launch of the first British Tourism Week, which is designed to highlight the contribution it makes to the economic strength.
VisitBritain chief executive Tom Wright said: “This new figure shows that British tourism is currently in good health and reflects the visitor economy’s recovery from the double whammy of the foot and mouth outbreaks and 9/11 in 2001.
“Subsequent years of slow growth were hit by Sars and the start of the second Gulf War, but a strong bounce back from 2004 was helped by the enlargement of Europe leading to strong growth form Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary and improved access to the UK from countries such as India.”
According to Visitbritain, Britons make over one billion tourism day trips and spend £44.3 billion in their own country. On average each trip lasted five hours.
But there has been a continuing downward drift in spending on overnight domestic trips, with Britons now taking 139 million overnight trips and spending £23 billion.
Today, British Tourism Week Patron, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, hosts a reception for 200 representatives of the tourism industry at the Tower of London.
MPs will be pledging their support at a signing ceremony at the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday and are due to gain a real understanding of tourism experiences and issues by going ‘back to the floor’ in their constituencies on Friday.
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt