Tourism numbers still recovering slowly
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 31 June when compared with the same period last year.
The second quarter saw 6.5 million visitors, compared with 6.28 million for the same period in 2001, 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 that the numbers of UK residents travelling abroad also increased by four per cent 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.