UK suffers from slump in visitor arrivals
Thursday, 12 Feb, 2009
0
The UK suffered a fall in visitors from all parts of the world in the last quarter of 2008.
Overall figures for the whole of last year show a two per cent drop in the number of visits to 32 million over 2007.
Spending was up by three per cent to £16.4 billion before adjusting for inflation, according to provisional figures from the International Passenger Survey.
VisitBritain believes the figures illustrate “the continuing challenges of maintaining Britain’s popularity as a destination in the face of the global economic downturn and increasing competition from rival destinations”.
A statement from the national tourism agency said: “It appears that Britain is not yet enjoying the predicted increase in the number of international visitors because of the fall in sterling.
“More needs to be done to tell consumers overseas that Britain has never been more affordable and take advantage of partners around the world who are ready to match any public investment pound for pound.”
A £6.5 million marketing campaign is planned by VisitBritain to launch in April.
Activity will mainly run in Europe and the US alongside a major campaign with British Airways in the Asia-Pacific region.
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025