Tourism in the United Kingdom
Tourism in the United Kingdom is a major industry and contributor to the U.K. economy, which is the world's 10th biggest tourist destination, with over 40.1 million visiting in 2019, contributing a total of £234 billion to the GDP.
VisitBritain data shows that the USA remains the most valuable inbound market, with American visitors spending £2.1 billion in 2010.
Tourism first began to increase during the 17th century when wealthy Europeans would follow the ‘Grand Tour’ of Western Europe which traditionally started in the United Kingdom before travelling to Italy.
[8] Throughout the Industrial Revolution, tourism continued to spike as people began to have more disposable income and technological advancements made transport more convenient and affordable.
[citation needed] The Global Financial Crisis of 2008 caused three consecutive years of the number of visitors from overseas decreasing for the only period between 2002 and 2017.
[13] It was reported that in the month of April Heathrow Airport was expecting 6.7 million passengers, but only 200,000 arrived which is roughly equivalent to a normal day.
[17] As of March 2021[update], a 10-day quarantine period applies to people entering the UK from a number of "red list" countries.
[18] As the country surpassed 100,000 COVID-19 related deaths, a VisitBritain report in January 2021 discussed the effects of the pandemic on domestic tourism within the UK in 2020, citing a significant reduction in spending, for an estimated decline of 62% over the previous year.
[21] The tourism authority also indicated that there was a plan for the UK to loosen restrictions on international travel on 17 May, both inbound and outbound, but it was premature to predict whether those changes would actually commence at the expected time.
"There's still not much to do in the UK right now ... although this lockdown is now being eased some restrictions will likely be in place until the summer", the report predicted, with June being the most likely time for tourism from other countries to begin a rebound.
[23] It was possible that loosening of the UK's restrictions on inbound tourists would not commence as early as planned because sources in the European Union stated on 8 April 2021 that a "third wave of the pandemic [was sweeping] the continent".
(Two days earlier, PM Boris Johnson had made it clear that "We don't want to see the virus being reimported into this country from abroad".
[35] VisitBritain, the tourist board of Great Britain, analyses data from the Office for National Statistics to estimate the number of visitors that attend each attraction.
[46] These festivals not only hold cultural significance but are also a major economic component of the United Kingdom's tourist industry, with Glastonbury alone contributing £100 million to the economy annually.
[48] In 2011, VisitBritain launched GREAT, one of a £100 million marketing campaign, promoting the United Kingdom through culture, heritage, sport, music, countryside, food and shopping.
[50] Overall, inbound and domestic marketing have generated £1 billion in additional visitor spend, of which, £800 million can be attributed to the GREAT campaign.
[54] Other examples of commonly purchased souvenirs include: Union Jack branded goods, items from famous department stores like Harrods and Selfridges and memorabilia surrounding the British royal family.
[55] The United Kingdom attracts worldwide visitors with a combination of rural and urban scenery and the appeal of British Culture which includes sport, food and art.
