UK still biggest market for US
For the second year running, the UK was the largest source market for visitors to the US in 2002.
According to the US Government Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, 3.8 million Britons visited the US in 2002, down seven percent on the previous year. This still put the UK ahead of Japan, which used to hold the top spot, but registered 3.6 million visitors in 2002.
It appears the UK was the most resilient European market in 2002, with tourists still crossing the pond despite the negative impact of the global economy and the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001. In fact, according to the figures, visitors from the UK to the US out-number those coming from the next six largest European markets, all added together.
Visit USA Association, director association development, Alan Waddell said: “Given the inherent market difficulties that the UK experienced in 2002, then these are an extraordinaryily good set of results – much better than we might have anticipated earlier. It would be really good to see this pattern maintained in 2003 but it’s too early to get a measurement of the effects on the market of the Iraq war.”
Mr Waddell added that tour operators, agents and attractions in the US had reported an improvement in bookings since the hostilities in Iraq have drawn to a close. He hopes a favourable exchange rate and strong empathy between the UK and US should boost tourism in 2003.
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