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Tourism figures for Q3 2008 announced
VisitBritain has revealed that visitor numbers and spending during the summer – the peak period for inbound tourism – fell by 3 per cent to 9.3 million, while spending dropped by two per cent to £5.1bn, compared to the summer of 2007.
The results for the third quarter (July - September) come days after the tourism agency published new research, which indicated the value of the visitor economy to UK plc is £114bn and that, in the next three years, the gross value of the visitor economy could drop by £11bn. The results for the nine months to September 2008 show that travel to Britain is becoming more challenging, with visits from overseas residents remaining static at 24.9 million compared to 2007, but spending increased by 4 per cent to £12.5bn (before inflation).
The largest increase in visits in 2008 as a whole have come from the 12 'accession' countries, which have seen visits rise by 17 per cent to 2.7 million. While North American visits have fallen by 9 per cent to 3.2 million. This reduction has been attributed to the poor economic climate in the US, the UK's primary market, as well as the high aviation costs and weakening consumer confidence. Visits from countries within the European Union have also dropped by 1 per cent, while visits from the rest of europe and the rest of world increased by 2 per cent.
Tom Wright, chief executive of VisitBritain, said: "Although these figures are disappointing, they are not unexpected given the economic climate right now. The recent fall in sterling and the approaching Olympics in 2012 give us a tremendous opportunity to promote Britain's attractions as a destination to the world, but the likely onset of the global recession makes our work and the support we receive ever more critical. "With strong support, Britain's Visitor Economy can continue to grow strongly over the next few years and compete against more destinations investing more money to attract the attention of travellers. However, if we do not address the market challenges, the economic impact could be considerable.
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