Fewer tourists visit Britain

One million fewer tourists visited Britain during the three months to September, compared with the same period last year, as sky-high prices, poor airports and bad weather deterred people, official figures showed.

Overseas visitor numbers fell by 10 per cent to 9.25 million – the largest quarterly fall since the fall out of September 11, 2001, when American tourists numbers ground to a halt. This time, the weak dollar, rather than terrorism, is behind the fall in numbers.

Added to this, is Britain’s increasing reputation as an unexciting, troublesome destination, compared to more exotic places in Asia.

Elliott Frisby at VisitBritain, the Government-backed agency that promotes the country to tourists, said: “The exchange rate is seriously starting to bite for many North Americans. Visits from that region are predominantly driven by price, and many Americans are choosing to stay at home.”

Americans are the most important visitors to the UK as they tend to spend the most and stay the longest, frequently travelling outside London to the Lake district and other areas that are very reliant on the tourist dollar.

Tour operators and analysts also cite “Heathrow hassle” and the increase in air passenger duty as contributors to the fall, with this summer’s airport delays and dire weather all helping to persuade visitors to travel elsewhere.

The emergence of China, Turkey, India and other exciting locations competing for international visitors is another factor.

“Competition is hotting up and people want to go to new destinations that have got the 'brag factor’ – where you can take the photos and come back home and tell all your friends. Britain just doesn’t have that,” said Mr Frisby.

David Else, the author of Lonely Planet’s guide to Great Britain, said he was sad that tourist numbers had fallen after a resurgent few years.

“My view is that Britain is not boring at all. Yes, it is expensive compared to many other countries, but it is a great place and the tourist facilities have all improved enormously in recent years – the cafes, restaurants, attractions, the transport links. Everything is getting better.”

Source:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/main.jhtml?xml=/travel/2007/11/14/et-tourism-114.xml