Tourist spending in the UK reached a record high of £125bn last year, according to a new Tourism Alliance report launched at its annual Parliamentary reception today (12 March).

UK Tourism Statistics 2012 revealed that levels of expenditure in 2011 were £16bn higher than the previous record and comes after a 14 per cent growth in domestic tourism.

The organisation's report also shown an increase in the number of UK tourism businesses - up from 200,000 to 249,000 - while the sector employs 9 per cent of the total workforce.

However, the Tourism Alliance said the sector could achieve more if the government adopts measures such as improving visa processing for residents from the UK's growth markets.

Tourism Alliance chair Brigid Simmonds said: "We could do so much more if the government cut red tape and bureaucracy - including improving the system of visa processing for overseas tourists from growth markets like China and India.

"We are calling on the government to support our sector, so we can create more jobs in UK at a time for a real boost to economic growth."

Details: www.tourismalliance.com

Image: Ints Vikmanis/shutterstock.com