- 10% more visits and 23% more spent than October 2012
- Holiday visits on track for a record year
October was a record-breaking month for tourism visits and spend and Britain welcomed increased visits from all regions of the world – EU15, Other EU, Rest of Europe, North America and Rest of World.
In a rare occurrence, October saw growth from all of these world regions, including North America returning to growth – 9% higher than last October. The high volume EU15 markets also continued growth in October (+5%), whilst visits from other EU markets saw a notable increase (+40%).
The amount tourists are spending is growing at a faster rate than the volume of visits, putting Britain on track for the highest spend from international visitors in its history by the end of the year. Britain welcomed 10% more visits than in October 2012 – a total of 2.95 million – and an impressive 23% more (in nominal terms) was spent by overseas visitors, a total of £1.88 billion.
These latest figures have also put holiday visits on track for a record year, marking six consecutive months of record levels of holiday visits, with 9% more holiday visits from overseas in October than the previous October. So far in 2013 (January to October) there have been 8% more holiday visits than in the same period in 2012 – again, a record number.
It wasn’t just the large volume EU15 markets seeing uplift in October – Rest of Europe saw an increase of 13% and new growth markets across Rest of World markets (outside Europe or North America) continued to break records for the seventh consecutive month, with visits up 9% in October – and up 12% across the first ten months of the year. As a result, visits from Rest of World and Rest of Europe are both likely to set new records by the end of this year.
Patricia Yates, Director of Strategy & Communications at VisitBritain said:“Not only are we seeing strong growth figures from our established markets, but also from new growth markets, such as China, South Korea and Mexico. Huge events have showcased Britain on a global stage as a great place to holiday, study, invest and do business – and these figures show that our GREAT campaign has helped turned spectators into visitors. As a result, Britain is on course to attain the highest spend from international visitors in its history by the end of the year.”
