Record spending from overseas tourists in 2014
Helen Grant welcomes VisitBritain's latest analysis of ONS figures
New analysis from VisitBritain reveals that more international tourists are travelling across the country than ever before, with spending hitting new record levels in the majority of nations and regions for the first 9 months of 2014.
The new figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the first 9 months of 2014 overseas tourist spending reached new records in Wales (£303 million), Scotland (£1.5 billion), London (£8.9 billion), East of England (£693 million), North West (£849 million) and the South East (£1.7 billion).
Compared to the same period in 2013, from January to September 2014 overseas visits grew at a faster rate to Wales (14%), Scotland (12%) and Yorkshire (12%, reaching a new record of 1.08 million) than they did to London (6%).
Read the full news story from VisitBritain.
Welcoming the figures, Tourism Minister Helen Grant said:
Britain has so much to offer tourists and it’s fantastic that more of them are exploring the country and helping to drive growth outside of London. I want overseas visitors to experience the very best of Britain and with a record £22 billion expected to be spent this year the tourism sector is well placed to keep up this momentum, as part of the Government’s long-term economic plan.
Patricia Yates, VisitBritain’s Director of Strategy and Communications, said:
Inbound tourism is an export industry at which Britain is demonstrably successful, with further growth predicted this year. VisitBritain will continue to focus on the rebalancing of this growing industry in 2015 to benefit the whole country. Next week we will launch a £3 million Countryside is GREAT campaign to showcase the beauty of our countryside – from Cornwall to the Lake District, Pembrokeshire to the Scottish Highlands.