Gap in uk tourist spending grows

By Angela Frewin

More foreign visitors spent more money in the UK in the 12 months to July 1997 than the year before. But they continued to be outstripped by the numbers of UK residents travelling and spending abroad.

The net result, according to the Office for National Statistics' latest international passenger survey, was a deepening in the annual tourism deficit to £4.3b from £3.6b in 1995/96.

While earnings from foreign visitors climbed by 4% to £12.7b, UK tourists increased the amount they spent abroad by 7% to £16.97b.

The number of overseas visits rose by 3% to 25.8 million, with the biggest boost (of 8%) coming from North Americans.

During the same period, British residents made 45.9 million trips abroad, an 11% increase on 1996, with the most popular destinations being Western Europe (up 10%) and North America (up 9%).

A slightly different pattern emerges for the final three months to July.

The 6.5 million visits from abroad showed a 2% drop on the preceding quarter, and a 1% drop year-on-year.

By contrast, the 11.8 million visits made by UK residents abroad was 3% up on the quarter before, and 17% higher year-on-year.

Spending during this last quarter, however, was 2% lower than the preceding three months on both counts, giving a largely unchanged tourism deficit of £1.1b. Overseas earnings fell to £3.15b, while UK tourists spent £4.27b abroad.

One possible explanation for this quarterly dip was the attraction of last year's Euro 96 football tournament staged at major UK cities in May.