American tourists return to Britain

American tourists are beginning to return to the UK, according to the latest inbound tourism report.

Figures from VisitBritain, the UK's tourism authority, revealed a 14% increase during September in visitors from North America when compared with the same month in 2002.

In the three months to the end of September, this contributed to a 2% rise in overall visitors and a 1% increase in the amount of money they spent.

VisitBritain's chief executive, Tom Wright, said that the authority's summer campaign in the USA appeared to have had an impact in the return of American tourists.

"We cannot judge recovery by one month's figures, but it is welcome to see more North American visitors feeling positive about long-distance travel to Britain," he said.

The number of visitors from Western Europe grew by 6% in September, following a 6% increase in August. Over the three-month period there has been a 1% rise in visitors from Western Europe.

Visitors from the rest of the world dropped in September by 1% when compared with the previous year, although the total number throughout the quarter increased by 5%.

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