KEY POINTS:
The number of visitors to Britain fell 5 per cent in the three months to June.
The International Passenger Survey by the Office for National Statistics revealed that Americans, who traditionally account for a large slice of the tourist market, were particularly prone to skipping their British break.
A weak dollar saw the number of visits by US citizens fall 8 per cent, while trips by Europeans fell 2 per cent over the quarter. Total visitor numbers slipped by 5 per cent to 8.1 million but spending remained steady compared with the previous quarter at £4.1 billion ($10.95 billion).
However, visits from one group of countries continued to show strong growth. The new European Union states such as Poland and Lithuania contributed a 15 per cent rise in visitor numbers over the three months to June, and were 6 per cent up on the year.
British residents' visits abroad declined 1 per cent to 17.7 million in the year to June. Tourism accounts for 6 per cent of the British economy.
- INDEPENDENT
