Highest ever August figures for overseas visit to UK

21 October 2016 by
Tourists VisitBritain/VisitEngland

August was a record-breaking month for inbound tourism to the UK, with visits up 2% to 3.8 million.

Overseas visitors spent £2.6b, 4% more than during the same month in 2015, according to new figures released in the Office for National Statistics' International Passenger Survey.

Growth was particularly strong from North America with 510,000 visits, up 13% year-on-year.

Total inbound tourism figures for January to August increased 3% to 25 million, with spending by visitors at £14.6b. Last year was a record for visits from overseas, with a total of 36.1 million visits and spending at £22.1b.

Tourism minister Tracey Crouch said that 2016 had been "an incredible year" so far for British tourism.

"We continue to attract a record number of tourists from across the globe, which is not only great news for the sector, but the whole economy."

Sally Balcombe, chief executive of VisitBritain/VisitEngland, added: "These back-to-back record-breaking figures not only underpin a longer-term pattern of growth for inbound tourism, one of our fastest growing export industries, but also demonstrate its growing importance to the UK economy.

"We're inspiring overseas visitors to book a trip right now through our #OMGB 'Britain, Home of Amazing Moments' campaign, showcasing the incredible experiences on offer across our nations and regions. And we're working with commercial partners in our key inbound markets including China and the US to convert the desire to visit into bookings."

Inbound tourism to UK hits highest-ever level in July >>

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