2017 was a record year for inbound tourism to the UK, with growth set to continue in 2018 according to VisitBritain forecasts. Overseas visitors to the UK are forecast to break through the 40 million mark for the first time in 2018 to reach 41.7 million, an increase of 4.4% on 2017 (which is expected to total 39.9 million visits once data has become available). Overseas visitor spend is forecast to reach £26.9 billion in 2018, up 6.8% on 2017. It is expected that 2017 spending will total £25.1 billion.
VisitBritain Director Patricia Yates said, “Tourism is one of the UK’s most valuable export industries. It is also a fiercely competitive global industry and these results not only demonstrate Britain’s continued ability to compete internationally for visitors, they are testament to tourism’s importance as a driver of economic growth.
“We are working with partners across the world to tell customers of experiences they can only have in Britain and encourage them to book a trip now. We have seen good growth this year from the US and China, and are developing new products that make it easier for overseas visitors to book and explore all of Britain.”
The latest official statistics for inbound tourism to the UK are for January to September 2017, which show a record 30.2 million overseas visits in the first nine months of the year, up 7% on 2016. During this time overseas visitor spend reached a record £18.7 billion, an increase of 9% on 2016.
3.8 millions visits from North America were made between January and September 2017 – a 14% increase on 2016, while 5 million visits were received from the ‘Rest of the World’ region which includes markets such as Australia, China, the Gulf markets and India, up 15% on 2016.
Inbound visits from the EU, the UK’s largest source market, hit a record 19.6 million visits between January and September 2017, up 4% on 2016.
