Tourism in 2005 could be strongest since millennium

This year will be one of steady growth for the tourism industry, with the number of visitors from overseas, and the amount they spend, rising to levels not seen since 2000, VisitBritain has predicted.

After a particularly strong 2004, the tourist authority said it expected visits from overseas to rise by a 3% to 27.1 million, with the value of these visits up 3.2% in 2005 to £12.7b, approaching the previous record set in 2000.

The Asian and eastern European markets were likely to prove particularly strong this year, it forecast.

The weakness of the US dollar, and the impact this might have on spending by US tourists, remained a concern, it added.

"We are expecting the recovery in inbound tourism seen during 2004 to be consolidated during 2005, especially in the European market where budget airlines continue to provide new routes to regional destinations.

"Also encouragingly, the threat of a major terrorist attack, although still present, has receded somewhat, and the Asian economies are looking stronger than they have for the past few years," said VisitBritain.

by Nic Paton

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