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Issue 54 September/October 2013 £2.75
Figures show record spend and visitors By Christina Eccles A YEAR after Britain hosted some of the largest events in the world, inbound tourism is holding strong, according to the latest figures from the International Passenger Survey. Figures for the first half of 2013 show record levels in spend and the strongest visitor numbers since 2008, with Britain attracting 15.2m visitors and a record £8.7b spend over this period. Over 2.89m overseas visitors were welcomed in June alone, up 12 per cent compared with last June. Expenditure over the same period saw overseas visitors spend a total of £1.84b, an increase of 13 per cent from June 2012. This was also a new high, up eight per cent on the existing June record set in 2011. June also saw more than 1.22 million holiday visits, 17 per cent up on the previous year, followed by a new all-time record for the first six months of 2012 (two per cent). Overseas director at VisitBritain Keith Beecham said: “This is the second consecutive month we have seen record visits and spend, while the first six months of the year have also delivered a record. “In June the UK welcomed more
than a visitor every single second (67 overseas visitors a minute). “If this trend continues it would see us welcome one overseas visitor every second of every day of every week of every month of the year. “This is great news for the economy and a further sign that tourism is delivering growth across the country. “Particularly encouraging is that we’ve witnessed a record 18 per cent rise in visits from Rest of World markets, the first time June has ever seen us welcome over half-amillion visitors from these markets. This growth has been sustained over the first half of the year, up 11 per cent and also a record.” Minister for tourism Hugh Robertson added: “These record figures for June show that our tourism strategy is working. “We did all we can to showcase the best of Britain to the world in 2012 and it’s paying off. The tourism sector has a big role to play in delivering economic growth and we must keep up this momentum and continue to promote Britain as a great place to visit.” What do you think to the findings? Send your views to our editorial team by emailing ce@scriptmedia.co.uk
Warm July leads to a spending increase
BBC Radio One DJ and Blackpool native Danny Howard has made history by becoming the first DJ to play at the top of Blackpool Tower. Danny officially launched the SKYWALK Sunset Sessions, a collaboration between The Blackpool Tower and North West clubnight supremoes Randy Ron which ran every Saturday in August. He also set a world record for performing a DJ set at the highest height – 420ft above the ground.
THE warmest July in eight years has seen year-on-year spending at UK tourist attractions boom – with figures showing a 99 per cent increase in spend at aquariums and a 64 per cent increase at amusement parks. Brits came out in force this summer and spent considerably more on leisure activities than during the same period last year according to Barclaycard, which processes nearly half of all debit and credit card transactions in the UK. A Barclaycard spokesman said: “The warmest July since 2006 really drove a boom in spending on domestic leisure activities. “A series of soggy summers has taken its toll on UK holiday resorts as Brits jetted off to sunnier climes at every opportunity, and these figures will come as a sigh of relief for those bidding to resurrect the ‘staycation’. “We saw how spend in July climbed 4.8 per cent on last year and this latest data reinforces our view that British shoppers are finally shaking off the longest period of austerity in a generation and are more readily parting with their money.”