Association of Leading Visitor Attractions

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25 Apr 2017

Brexit boom continues as Britain yet again marks record tourism figures

While Britain's decision to leave the European Union has created a general landscape of uncertainty, the nation's tourism industry continues to break records.

According to official statistics from VisitBritain, the UK welcomed 5.2m visitors in January and February – up 6 per cent on the same period last year.

Overseas visitors also spent a record £2.7bn (US$3.45bn, €3.2bn) in January and February, up 11 per cent on 2016’s figures.

The increase has been attributed to the weakening of the pound since last year's vote, with overseas tourists finding it considerably cheaper to visit.

“These figures show that 2017 is off to a cracking start for inbound tourism, one of our most valuable export industries,” said VisitBritain director, Patricia Yates.

“Britain is offering great value for overseas visitors and we can see the success of our promotions in international markets. We must continue to build on our message of welcome and value in our high spending markets such as China, the US and the valuable European market.”

2016 was a record-breaking year for inbound tourism to the UK with 37.3 million visits, up 3.4 per cent on 2015, with visitors spending £22.2bn (US$28.4bn, €26bn), matching 2015’s record spend.