Record spend for UK inbound visitors
Visitors to the UK last year spent a record £19 billion, a 4% rise on 2011.
The growth has been attributed to the 2012 Olympics and Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
Figures from the ONS also confirmed that visits were up 1% on 2011 to 31 million international tourists.
This represents the best year since 2008.
VisitBritain director of strategy and communications Patricia Yates said: "Inbound tourism has shown it can continue to deliver growth to the UK economy and Britain has managed to avoid the threatened displacement in the year of the Games."
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.
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