Foreign visits to UK fall by 4%

The number of foreign tourists visiting the UK in the three months to October fell by 4% to 7.8m compared with the previous quarter, official figures revealed today.

The drop – which was also 4% down on the same period last year – saw total spending by foreign visitors fall 1% to £4.2b, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The number of trips abroad by UK residents also saw a drop, falling by 6% to 16.4m, with their spending decreasing by 6% to £8.8b.

Guy Parsons, UK managing director at budget hotel group Travelodge, said the fall was not surprising given the shocks experienced in the global economy during September

“Moving forward to 2009, the collapse in the value of sterling gives the Government an excellent opportunity to market the UK overseas as a great value holiday destination,” he added.

“For international travellers, the UK has not been this competitively priced for a generation, with London particularly well positioned as an affordable break –something we have considered New York to be in recent years.

“To capitalise, the Government needs to recognise the importance of tourism to the economy and be smart with how it invests its limited marketing spend.”

The tourism industry received a welcome boost yesterday when London Mayor Boris Johnson announced plans to invest £1m in marketing the capital to leisure and business travellers as part of his £3b London Plan.

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By Daniel Thomas

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