December boost for UK tourism figures

The number of visits to the UK rose by 4% during December 2003, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. There were a total of 1.96 million visitors, made up of 280,000 from North America, 1.36 million from Western Europe and 310,000 from the rest of the world.

North American numbers were up by 16% on the same month a year earlier, while Western European visits fell by 2% and those from elsewhere rose by 20%.The amount they all spent fell by 1% to £990m.

During the final three months of 2003 there was a 6% increase in visits to 6.09 million, but spending fell by 1% to £2.81b.For 2003 as a whole, visits were up by 2% to 24.7 million and spending remained static at £11.8b.

VistiBritain, the former British Tourist Authority, forecast that the volume of inbound tourism would increase by 3.3% in 2004, taking the total number of visitors to 25.5 million.The value of inbound tourism is forecast to grow by 3.4% in 2004 to £12.3b.

North American numbers were up by 16% on the same month a year earlier, while Western European visits fell by 2% and those from elsewhere rose by 20%.The amount they all spent fell by 1% to £990m.

During the final three months of 2003 there was a 6% increase in visits to 6.09 million, but spending fell by 1% to £2.81b.For 2003 as a whole, visits were up by 2% to 24.7 million and spending remained static at £11.8b.

VistiBritain, the former British Tourist Authority, forecast that the volume of inbound tourism would increase by 3.3% in 2004, taking the total number of visitors to 25.5 million.The value of inbound tourism is forecast to grow by 3.4% in 2004 to £12.3b.