The Easter break failed to generate a significant increase in international visitors to the UK, according to new statistics from UKinbound.

April arrivals were up just 3.3% year on year, while advance reservations rose by just 0.8%.

UKinbound blames the high price of oil and a weak US dollar for the slow growth. It said that with the dollar likely to remain at $1.80 to $1.90 to the pound for the rest of the year, little good news could be expected from the US market.

A decline in fuel costs over the next few months would probably come too late to have an impact on what is set to be a challenging summer, the organisation said.

● Visits by overseas residents to the UK rose by 7% during the 12 months ending April 2006, from 28.6 million to 30.7million, according to the latest government statistics. Visitors from “other parts of the world” accounted for the biggest rise, at 14% to 6.6 million, while visits from Western Europe rose by 7%. Visits from North American residents increased by just 1%.

By Matthew Batham

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