UK tourism shortfall blamed on sterling

The strong pound and growing competition from European destinations contributed to a 1% drop in overseas visitors to the UK and in the amount they spent, according to the British Tourist Authority's (BTA's) report on 1999.

The UK attracted 25.4 million visitors, who spent £12.5b.

The biggest loss was in the key European market, where visitor numbers dropped by 3% to 16.8 million and their total spending fell by 5% to £5.97b.

The number of long-haul visitors from the West and their spend also declined by 1%, to five million and £3.2b, but the Eastern long-haul market fared better.

Here, visitor numbers climbed by 8% to 3.6 million, while the amount they spent increased by 6% to £3.3b.

The BTA is working on a review of Britain's strengths and weaknesses compared with rival destinations, called Britain Assessment, which will be published next summer.