Tourists forecast to spend £23b in 2016
Tourism spend in 2016 is predicted to hit record levels, according to VisitBritain.
The tourism body has forecast that spending by overseas visitors will reach £23b in 2016, a 4.2% increase on this year, which is expected to finish on £22b.
This year 35.4 million visitors came to Britain, a figure that's expected to rise to 36.7 million in 2016.
VisitBritain said the figures put the country on track to realise the ambition to grow international visits by more than 20% to 42 million visits by 2020.
VisitBritain chief executive Sally Balcombe said: "Everything we do is motivated by the goal to add value to the tourism industry by building our competitive tourism offer and driving economic growth and jobs across all our nations and regions, so that the benefits of tourism are felt across the whole of Britain.
"We are competing in a tough international environment and these results highlight how strongly the tourism sector, one of the UK's fastest growing export industries, has performed and how the Government's tourism strategy, supported by the ‘Great' campaign, is producing results."
The tourism body claims its campaigns have generated an extra £2.5b in visitor spend in the last four years.
In 2016 it plans to focus its activity on promoting England's natural beauty through its Year of the Great English Garden, promote Wales' Year of Adventure, while Northern Ireland will showcase the best of its cuisine with the Year of Food and Drink and Scotland will celebrate a Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design.
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