Record-high spending by overseas visitors in the first half of 2013 has given UK tourism a welcome post-Olympics boost.
Foreign nationals spent an all-time high of £8.72bn during their trips in the UK in January to June this year – 11% more than the same period last year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
The half-year figures were boosted by the June 2013 statistics, which showed that tourists spent a record £1.84bn – an increase of 13% from June 2012 and well above the previous best total for the month, achieved in June 2011.
The figures showed that foreigners made 15.24m visits to the UK between January and June 2013 – a 4% rise on the first six months of last year and the best half-year figures since 2008.
A total of 2.89m of these visits were made in June alone, up 12% compared with June 2012.
Of the June 2013 visits, 1.22m were for holidays – 17% up on the June 2012 total. Holiday visits for the first half of this year have also reached record levels, rising 2% to 5.73m.
The figures also showed that UK residents made 25.97m trips abroad in the first six months of 2013 – a rise of 1% from the same period last year.
Britons spent £15.21bn during these overseas visits from January to June 2013 – a 5% rise on the figure for the first six months of last year.
The tourism minister, Hugh Robertson, said: “These record figures for June show that our tourism strategy is working. We did all we can to showcase the best of Britain to the world in 2012 and it’s paying off.
“The tourism sector has a big role to play in delivering economic growth and we must keep up this momentum and continue to promote Britain as a great place to visit.”
VisitBritain’s overseas director, Keith Beecham, said: “This is the second consecutive month we have seen record visits and spend, while the first six months of the year have also delivered a record.
“In June the UK welcomed more than a visitor every single second (67 overseas visitors a minute).
“If this trend continues, it would see us welcome one overseas visitor every second of every day of every week of every month of the year. This is great news for the economy and a further sign that tourism is delivering growth across the country.”
traveldoneright 