Britain sees record international visitor numbers

International visitors to Britain hit record levels in the first six months of 2015.

According to figures from the Office of National Statistics, 3% more tourists were welcomed to Britain compared with 2014's record figures.

The result of the extra visitors boosted spending by 2%, making a £9.5b contribution to the economy.

Visits from China were up 28% to 90,000 in the first half of the year, while 282,000 people visited from Gulf Co-operation Council markets (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates).

Meanwhile, 3% more visitors arrived from the US, taking the total to 1.4 million for the first six months of 2015 and spend up 2% to £1.3b.

VisitBritain director of strategy and communications Patricia Yates said: "The UK continues to be a draw to all visitors and the increase in business visits reflects the return to the UK as a place to come and do business. It is heartening to see the growth in visitor spend and numbers for Q2 as we continue to compete in an environment of shifting exchange rates. It is also positive to see record visits from China and the GCC and a continued return to growth from North America, our most valuable market, during the first six months of this year."

Record inbound tourism figures for first half of 2015 >>
Tourist spend to British regions breaks records, says VisitBritain >>