UK tourism breaks records
Visitor numbers to the UK were up 11% this summer and broke all previous records.
The arrival figures for May to July 2004 were achieved despite a summer of changeable weather. There were 7.6 million visitors during the three-month period, with most coming from Western Europe (4.6 million).
While shorthaul visitors dominated, numbers of tourists coming to the UK from further afield also grew. Visitors from North America were up 13% year-on-year for the May to June period (to 1.5 million), and from the rest of the world, numbers were up 17% (to 1.6 million).
VisitBritain chief executive, Tom Wright, said: “The latest statistics on inbound international tourists are a positive result and yet further proof of a recovery from the challenges that British tourism has faced over the last three years.”
He added: “Emerging world markets for tourism, such as Russia, China and Poland offer British tourism further opportunities for growth.”
He said VisitBritain was working to develop marketing strategies to encourage visitors from these emerging markets.
Report by Ginny McGrath
Ginny McGrath
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