Tourist chiefs confident of strong summer for UK
5 April 2019


New figures have been released by the UK tourist industry suggesting that it will grow faster than the digital industry in the coming years.

Visit Britain wants to achieve 40 million inbound tourists a year by 2020 – up from 37.8 million in 2018. It says forward flight bookings to the UK are up five per cent on last year, and that it is confident of "a strong summer".

The picture is slightly complicated by a year-on-year decline in visitors in 2018, but a rise in numbers travelling from the EU in the final quarter over the same period in 2017.

What effect is Brexit having on visitors to the UK?

Industry research finds more than two thirds of the UK's tourists come from Europe and that, for most potential visitors, Brexit does not affect their decision to come, but uncertainty about Brexit is worrying. 44 per cent say they are concerned about the impact on their travel plans, compared with 49 per cent who are not or not very concerned.

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