In spite of riots, problems with the Euro, the effects of the recession and a global trend to take holidays in lesser-known places, the UK has enjoyed a boost this year.
The £115 billion industry of tourism in the UK has taken a few body blows in recent times. Economic disaster in Europe coupled with political instability in the UK itself has provided great challenges for the British to recover from.
However, there is a cause for optimism as the amount of visitors has risen by 2% and revenue was up 4% in July this year. The success has been put down to 2 factors: the rising number of visitors from China and the tendency of most people to spend more money during the summer.
China, the world’s third most valuable source of income in international tourism, has been particularly prominent in the recent UK success, with the Chinese middle class making more frequent visits to parts of the UK, particularly London.
With their spending money having been nicknamed “Peking pound”, an average increase of £100 per person per visit this year makes for impressive reading. Even golf clubs around the UK have started hiring Cantonese and Mandarin speakers.
Even without new Chinese tourists, it is true that people tend to spend more in summer than during other periods of the year. This also explains the July success of the UK this year. It also suggests that such progress may not be upheld throughout the whole year despite more and more campaigns focused on Asian markets.