Overseas visitor numbers on rise

15 August 2002 by
Overseas visitor numbers on rise

The number of overseas visitors to the UK has continued to pick up, with a rise of more than 4% in the three months to 30 June, compared with the same period last year.

The second quarter saw 6.5 million visitors, compared with 6.28 million last year, when the nation was in the grip of the foot-and-mouth crisis.

But the latest figures are still below those of the second quarter of 2000, when 6.7 million people visited the UK, suggesting that 11 September is still affecting the tourist industry.

The figures, from the latest International Passenger Survey from the Office for National Statistics, show the number of UK residents travelling abroad also increased by 4% to 16.3 million.

Spending by overseas visitors to the UK was up by 4% to £2.9b, compared with £2.8b in 2001, but down from £3.3b in 2000.

In June alone, overseas visitors to the UK increased by 3% to 2.3 million, while spending in the UK by overseas visitors rose by 2% to £1.13b.

The British Tourist Authority said the figures were in line with its forecasts for 2002. It added: "Traffic from Europe continues to be buoyant, helped by the fast-growing network of low-cost airlines."

The Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email

Start the working day with The Caterer’s free breakfast briefing email

Sign Up and manage your preferences below

Check mark icon
Thank you

You have successfully signed up for the Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email and will hear from us soon!

Jacobs Media is honoured to be the recipient of the 2020 Queen's Award for Enterprise.

The highest official awards for UK businesses since being established by royal warrant in 1965. Read more.

close

Ad Blocker detected

We have noticed you are using an adblocker and – although we support freedom of choice – we would like to ask you to enable ads on our site. They are an important revenue source which supports free access of our website's content, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.

trade tracker pixel tracking