Record-breaking month for spend by overseas visitors to UK in August
Overseas visitors to the UK spent £2.8b in August, up 3% year on year and the highest monthly figures on record, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics.
It was also a record month for inbound visits to the UK, up 5% from August 2016 to 3.9 million visits.
There was particularly strong growth during the month in visits from EU countries, up 6% to 2.4 million visits.
The total number of visits from January to August 2017 increased 8% year on year to 27.1 million; while spending during the same period from visitors reached a record £16.4b, up 10% on 2016.
Tourism minister John Glen, said that the record-breaking figures for August reaffirm the UK's position as "a global go-to destination and show the continued strength of the sector".
Patricia Yates, director of VisitBritain, added: "Tourism is one of Britain's most valuable export industries and it is encouraging that this strong growth has continued during the summer.
"With Britain continuing to offer good value and with great deals in market, we are confident of a strong festive season and beyond as we showcase why our nations and regions should top people's list as the must-go-now destination."
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