National tourism body VisitBritain has released provisional data from the Office for National Statistics which indicates a 6 per cent increase in figures for overseas residents visiting Britain between January and June 2006.

In that period, overseas residents made 14.9 million visits to the UK and spent £6.6bn, with the 6 per cent increase also representing an above-average increase for the period in terms of the UK’s average long-term growth, which is about 4.2 per cent.

VisitBritain’s chief executive Tom Wright said: “Nearly 15 million international visitors is a great start and another record for Britain’s visitor economy. However, the industry continues to face challenges and increasing competition from rival destinations. If we are to build on this success, we need to continue to woo valuable American and Japanese visitors, explore new markets and ensure that this country offers quality, value-for-money experiences and an unrivalled welcome.”

Speaking about the figures, the policy director of the Tourism Alliance, Kurt Janson, agreed that they were ‘very good’ for the first half of 2006, but cautioned against being too optimistic in the mid-term, especially in relation to the inbound US market.

Janson said: “The first six months of the year show the first real increase in visitor numbers from the US since 9/11. As a result of 9/11, the number of visitors from the US dropped by 500,000 a year and, as the US is the UK’s single most important source of tourism revenue – accounting for 17 per cent of all tourism expenditure in the UK – it has been very difficult for the industry here.

“But the recent rise in base interest rates may mean that this recovery does not last into the second half of the year. The rise in interest rates has pushed the exchange rate to almost two dollars to the pound. At this exchange rate, the UK is a very expensive destination even for Americans and this could well halt the recovery in its tracks.” Details: www.visitbritain.com