England enjoys record visitor spend
Trips in England rose by 13% in the first seven months of this year compared with the same period in 2014.
The latest Great Britain Tourism Survey, showed that July was the best since records began, with tourism spend up by 5% to £2.35 billion.
The number of trips made in July rose by 11%, the best performance for the month since 2011.
The survey, carried out by an independent research agency on behalf of the national tourist boards of Britain, recorded 58.1 million trips made in England between January and July and an 11% rise in expenditure to almost £11 billion.
The number of domestic holidays taken during the period rose by 4% to 24.4 million and holiday spend for the seven months was up 6%.
The number of trips to visit friends and relatives rose 19% and spend was up 22%.
Business trip volumes in the year to date are 5% higher than in 2014 and expenditure is up 3%.
VisitEngland said the early months of the year and early summer were characterised by above average weather and a number of high profile anniversaries including the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta and the 50th anniversary of Winston Churchill, plus events including the first ever ‘Tour de Yorkshire’ in May.
"England has recently hosted a brilliant Rugby World Cup and hopes are that the positive trend will continue into the autumn as visitors flock to visit the 13 venues in 11 destinations over 44 days, during which 2.3 million spectators – (460,000 of which will be from overseas) have been travelling, sightseeing and exploring the country," it said.
The World Cup, which ends this weekend, is expected to add up to £982 million of value to national GDP and support 41,000 jobs around the country.
VisitEngland CEO James Berresford said: "These latest figures tell a positive story for the first seven months of the year; highlighting an uplift in both trips and spend.
"We are lucky that England has such a fantastic range of standout products and experiences across the country, which generate high levels of satisfaction for visitors and a wide range of cultural and sporting events taking place.
"Going forward we hope this strong performance continues into the autumn with the recent Rugby World Cup; showcasing England as a globally competitive, world-class destination that entices both domestic and international visitors."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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