A delegation of members of the UK travel industry, led by VisitBritain, has visited Japan with the aim of boosting tourism visits and spending in Britain.

An average visitor to the UK from Japan generates around £871 – compared with the world average visitor spend of £476 – highlighting the importance of Japanese visitors to the British economy.

Although recent figures show an increase in the number of visits to Britain by Japanese tourists, the figures have been falling since 1989.

The 29-strong delegation was led by Lady Cobham and took part in a three-day conference in Tokyo between 6-8 September.

Lady Cobham, a VisitBritain board member, said: “With the Japanese Tourism Bureau forecasting a 7 per cent rise in outbound travel over the summer, there has never been a better time to strengthen our links with tour operators and remind them of all that makes Britain a world-class destination.

“This is a superb opportunity for Britain’s tourism industry to increase its profile in Japan. The Japanese tourist market is vitally important for British tourism and we hope that this sales mission will further stimulate the market.”

Japan currently ranks tenth in the league of overseas visitor spending in the UK with 314,000 visits every year.