VisitBritain welcomed new figures that show that between March and May 2004, six and a half million international visitors travelled to the UK…
VisitBritain welcomed new figures that show that between March and May 2004, six and a half million international visitors travelled to the UK, representing the highest ever-recorded numbers of visitors for this period. The figures from the Office for National Statistics support a trend of a strong recovery from 2003, where the concerns over the war in Iraq and SARS had a major impact on world travel.
The increase has been driven by visitors from Western Europe and an increasingly large number of visitors from long haul destinations outside of North America. Set against a background of a continued rise in oil prices and a high exchange rate the statistics show that Britain continues to be a destination of choice for many world travelers.
VisitBritain`s International Marketing Director, Kenny Boyle, commented: With special offers and great deals on travel to the UK, 2004 continues to be a good year for tourism. May was an extremely strong month, with a 28% growth in passengers over the same month last year. VisitBritain`s marketing campaigns throughout the world are now reaping the reward with the latest statistics clearly showing a continued healthy growth across all world regions.
Whilst the number of visitors to Britain is increasing at an unprecedented level, the growth in the amount they spend is not quite as high. VisitBritain`s new So British magazine, aimed at the high-spending North American market, will help play a major part in consolidating our reputation amongst the world`s top luxury destinations.
VisitBritain`s forthcoming marketing activity will be building on these results for the second half of the year. Major multi-partner campaigns are scheduled throughout key overseas markets aimed at further raising the profile and appeal of Britain to stimulate bookings.
The roll out of VisitBritain`s third generation website will also be an important tool for capturing visitor information and vital data on consumer trends thus further growing the organisation`s consumer database. The website is now live in all countries except Japan, where a scheduled launch will take place in October. A programme of adding new content to the websites continues with additions this month focusing on the experiences available in Britain, including taste, good living, touring, education and gardens.
The figures in full are:
Please note these figures are not seasonally adjusted
Figures quoted for single months may occasionally be subject to a variance of +/- 10%
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
