There has been much debate over the Olympic legacy in the UK, with some critics still claiming that the huge expense of playing host to the Games cannot be recouped quickly. However, recent figures showing a boost in tourism this summer certainly indicates that the UK economy benefited from the event.
In June, almost 2.9 million tourists arrived on British shores according to data provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is a leap of 12 per cent from statistics in 2012, when the country was still very much in preparation mode for the Summer of Sport, and means that more than one tourist arrived in the UK every second during the month.
As a result, the number of visitors in the first six months of the year topped 15.2 million, making this the strongest year for the tourism industry since before the recession hit in 2008. Not surprisingly, it also had a positive effect on the spending rate for overseas visitors, which has now reached a new record of £8.7 billion – £1.84 billion of which occurred in June alone.
Overseas director of tourism body VisitBritain, Keith Beecham, believes the figures point towards a very promising future for British tourism.
He says; “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 economy.”
Emerging market economies such as Asia and Central and Latin America played a large part in the tourism growth throughout the period, with visitors from the Dragon economy increasing by 24 per cent. Mexico, Argentina, France, Germany and the Netherlands also topped the list of visitor numbers between January and June.
However, North American visitors backed their trend of recent years by choosing alternative locations for their summer vacations, with tourism numbers from the USA and Canada falling yet again.
Chris Lee, head of travel at Barclays, believes that the economic situation remains a factor in helping tourists decide where to visit when going on holiday.
He says; “A weak sterling is making the UK increasingly appealing to foreign visitors who can make their money go that much further.
“We are likely to see this summer’s figures further boosted on the back of great weather.”
With the UK showcasing its attractions to the world last summer, it appears that the international platform was impressed by the organisation and spectacle of the Olympics. However, as the number of tourists entering the country still does not make up for the 26 million Britons packing their bags for foreign destinations during the six month period, it seems that the tourism industry still has some way to go in convincing both overseas visitors and British citizens that the UK is a prime destination for a summer break.
Do you think the Olympics played a large role in the tourism figures, or did the sunny weather this year outstrip the effects of the sporting event?
