Now You Can Visit Britain Without Breaking the Bank

In recent years London has given New York, Paris and Tokyo a run for it’s overpriced money. With the weakened dollar against the almighty pound, Britsh getaways for the rich and famous, not for your average American seeking an affordable cultural kick. Well, the times they are a changing in all ways, everywhere.

Britain’s top tourism chief, VisitBritain executive chairman Christopher Rodrigues, has alerted consumers around the world of Britain’s new affordability. As the sterling weakens, visitors’ money goes much further and exchange rates have never been better for many international travelers, especially the American. The upside of this economic downturn means great deals on flights, accommodation and attractions in The UK.

As the pound takes a tumble against the dollar and the Euro, the benefits are clear for inbound visitors: Britain is now 25% cheaper for American travelers than it was a few years ago and 15% cheaper for anyone in the Eurozone. Britain is now back on the travel menu for bargain hunters.

Now is a good time to look beyond London. As 3.5 million people discovered Liverpool – European Capital of Culture – for the first time last year, cementing the reputation of city destinations around Britain. Newcastle, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol, Oxford and Cambridge all welcome thousands of international visitors every year thanks to low-cost routes into regional airports – over 4500 routes from Europe alone and the rail system is very user friendly and a lovely way to travel.

Pick up a BritRail pass for unlimited and flexible rail travel and enjoy discounts for families, groups traveling together, seniors, younger people and off-peak seasonal travel. Travel with British friends or relatives and they get 50 per cent off too.

Eurostar is currently offering more than 25,000 return tickets for 77EUR per person in standard class to encourage visitors to come to London during the January Sales. Enjoy Britain’s heritage on your journey – take a Harry Potter route over the Glenfinnan Railway viaduct in the West Highlands of Scotland, stop off at Carnforth station in Lancashire made famous in the film Brief Encounter, enjoy the scenery of one of our most beautiful landscapes on the Settle to Carlisle railway, travel through the high peaks of Snowdonia on the Llandudno to Blaenau Ffestiniog line. All are covered by your discounted BritRail pass.

For the international foodie, The UK is booming for foodies. International restaurants have long been the source of good cheap eats in the UK – choose from Indian and Chinese to Thai, Turkish and everything in between. But in the last few years British cuisine has undergone a revolution, led by good quality pubs – ‘gastropubs’ – with a focus on simple, traditional dishes done well. It’s great news for visitors: sensibly priced food in the classic setting of the British pub. Look out especially for lunch set menus, which offer a fixed price of around GBP10-11 for two courses. Fish and chips, of course, should not be missed; every town will have at least one ‘chippy’ – check out http://www.seafish.org/plate for local recommendations – but the best are usually on the coast.

As Mr. Rodrigues says: "As anyone who has spent time with us will know, our destinations are undergoing radical change and Britain today can offer world-class service and quality, ‘star-rated’ accommodation for every budget. We are a globally attractive and popular destination with a range of enviable tourism assets, from stunning landscapes to vibrant, multicultural cities. Our rich history of tradition, heritage and culture lives beside modern design, music, theatre and architecture, as well as accommodation.

For more information click on http://www.visitbritain.com