Inbound and domestic tourism is on the up in the UK. More people are visiting from overseas and more residents are choosing a staycation over a trip abroad.
According to VisitBritain, 2017 set a record for inbound tourism with 39.2 million visits, and British residents took 47.2 million holiday trips in the UK last year.
So what’s attracting overseas visitors and what’s keeping us Brits here? Is it the beautiful landscapes, the quintessential British pub or our cultural cities?
Here’s some interesting facts which may or may not surprise you from VisitBritain:
1) Visitors love our historic properties, such as houses, palaces, mills, monuments and boats. Visits to these attractions were up by 8%.
2) The British Museum was the most visited ‘free’ attraction for the 10th consecutive year with nearly six million visitors.
3) The Tower of London topped the list as the most visited ‘paid for’ attraction for the ninth year running with 2.8 million visitors. Chester Zoo came second with 1.9 million visitors and 1.58 million people walked around the famous prehistoric monument and cultural heritage attraction, Stonehenge, last year.
4) More people are getting closer to nature visiting farm attractions. Visitor numbers to these family friendly locations are up by 5%.
5) More Brits are taking short breaks of 1-3 nights which accounts for two-thirds of English holidays and is worth £19 billion to the economy. But, according to the stats, we’re visiting our friends and relatives less.
6) 14.2 million overnight business trips were taken last year in England. That’s the same as the year before.
7) Overseas tourists are spending on average £625 per visit. That’s up from £599 from the previous year.
8) Last year nearly two-in-five inbound visits to the UK were for a holiday (39%), whilst a quarter (22%) were for business.
9) The top three countries visiting the UK are France, the USA and Germany.
10) Last year 76% of visitors reached the UK by air. The rest travelled by ferry or the Channel Tunnel.
11) Interestingly, visitors who fly tend to spend more when they get here.
12) Tourism is worth £106 billion annually to England.
With beautiful beaches, cultural cities and historic houses, the UK has so much to offer both overseas and resident holiday makers. What’s on your doorstep that could be enticing more visitors to stay with you?
Stewart Hindley has been helping B&Bs and boutique hotels to secure the right hospitality finance package for their business for more than 13 years. If you’d like to discuss your hospitality finance requirements, give us a call today on 01488 393046.
