Optimism within the tourism sector that the weakening pound might encourage more overseas residents to visit the UK will have been dampened by the latest figures published by the Office for National Statistics.

In the last three months of 2008, the number of such visits fell by 5 per cent to 7.4 million, with associated spending decreasing by one per cent to £4bn.

The year as a whole showed an overall 2 per cent dip in overseas residents’ visits to the UK compared with the 12 months to December 2007, from 32.8 million to 32 million.

Visits from European residents fell by 1 per cent to 23.7 million, while those from North America decreased by a huge 13 per cent to 3.8 million.

Regarding visits abroad by UK residents, in the 12-month period to December 2008, the number decreased by 1 per cent compared with the same period in 2007, from 69.5 to 68.8 million.

The tourism deficit for 2008 consequently rose to £20.2bn, up from £19bn in 2007.