International tourists

Overseas visits to Britain was 30 million visitors in 2010 spending £16.7 billion. And many of these travel into the country through the major airports. Some will have mapped out their itinerary in advance, but most will have not. As they arrive in the country they will be keen to start their trip with additional information about the possibilities before them. It's a great chance for you to talk to them.

Some interesting facts about international tourism:

• 14.6 million visitors spent time in the capital, spending over £8.6 billion – 52% of all visitor spending, the rest of England 35%, Scotland 9% and Wales 2%
• 1.5 million visitors made day trips to the UK, spending 131 million
• UK ranked sixth in the international tourist arrivals league behind France, USA, Spain, China and Italy, accounting for 3.2% of global arrivals
• France, Germany and the USA were the top three markets in terms of number of visits to the UK accounting for very nearly one-in-three visits
• The top three markets measured in terms of visitor spend were USA, Germany and France, accounting for just over one-quarter of visitor spend

What do visitors actually do during their visit to the UK?

• Visitors to London more likely to eat in restaurants (83%), shopping (70%), sightseeing famous monuments and buildings (48%) and visiting museums, art galleries and theatre
• Visitors to the South East are more likely to visit castles (44%), explore places away from where they are staying (44%), socialising with locals (47%)

Source Visit Britain: Inbound tourism Facts, Visitor Economy Facts 2010, Activities undertaken by visitors from different parts of the UK