Foreign visitors spent 21 billion pounds (25.54 ME) in Great Britain in 2013, 13% more than the previous year. This is the first time the cap has exceeded 20 billion according Visit Britain.
The destination registered having 32,890,000 foreign visitors in 2013, 6% more than in 2012 and breaking the record from 2007 (32.78 million). According to each source consulted, the number of visits, for whatever reason, has increased compared to 2012, primarily due to a great summer and a good start to the fall.
“Leisure” visitors peaked with 7% more visitors than 2012 and 6% more than 2011, a particularly auspicious year. "Business" visits have also increased by 7%. "Not only have we managed to pass the milestone of 20 billion pounds for the first time, but we’ve also managed to spray the previous records in terms of leisure visits and visits from emerging markets such as China or South Korea. Our international visitors have begun to venture across our country, suggesting that our campaign is bearing GREAT fruit," said Sandie Dawe, Chief Executive of Visit Britain. Her assistant, Helen Grant, Minister of Tourism, stated, "Foreign visitors are spending more than ever in Britain, which proves that our strategy is working. With nearly 21 billion pounds of revenue, it has become evident that the tourism sector of our country is significantly contributing to the recovery of our economy. We will continue to support this sector and to promote the destination of Great Britain across the world.”