UK Tourism: How does it impact the economy?

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English Tourism Week is designed in order to honour England’s vibrant tourism industry. The week intends to highlight the vital role of local economies, communities and domestic travel. Businesses and destinations are also set to be highlighted in powering the industry.

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00:00When discussing English Tourism Week, Tourism Minister Sir Chris Bryant said that England's

00:06first-class tourism offering is a source of national pride, bringing billions for the

00:11economy, supporting millions of jobs and driving growth into local communities.

00:16Recently, the Tourism Minister committed to increasing visitor numbers and improving overall

00:22visitor experience in the UK.

00:25A new ambition for the United Kingdom intends to welcome 50 million international visitors

00:30per year by 2030 as part of the government's plans for the country to remain one of the

00:34most visited worldwide.

00:36The tourism industry is reportedly worth £74bn to the economy and 4% of GVA, with a huge

00:42potential for further growth to support government's central mission.

00:47A new Visitor Economy Advisory Council, co-chaired by the Tourism Minister, is set to be established

00:53and will see industry and government work together to kick-start this new stage of growth

00:57for the sector.

00:58The Council will work towards the creation of a National Visitor Economy Strategy, which

01:03will be launched next autumn, and maps out plans to support the growth of the tourism

01:08industry.

01:09Now, according to VisitBritain, museums, art galleries and places of worship across the

01:14nation received the highest increase in visits year-on-year, respectively.

01:19The tourism sector has reportedly grown due to an increase in overseas visits and school

01:24trips.

01:25The British Museum was the most visited free attraction in 2023.

01:29Furthermore, the Tower of London was the most visited paid-for attraction in 2023, attracting

01:352.8 million visitors.

01:37Some other most visited tourist spots include the Tower Bridge, Edinburgh Castle, Windsor

01:42Castle and the London Eye.

01:44VisitBritain estimates that for the full year in 2025, the nation is set to receive 43.4

01:50million tourist visits.

01:52VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates said that the international visitors spend tens of billions

01:57of pounds in the UK, with the money generated supporting jobs, businesses and driving growth

02:02for local economies.

02:04She added that tourism is a competitive global industry.

02:08Interestingly, the United States reportedly continues as the UK's largest and most valuable

02:13visitor market.

02:15Visits and spending from Europe overall are also showing growth on 2024.

02:20While recovery from East Asia overall continues to lag, numbers are continuing to improve

02:24with China forecast to return as the UK's fifth most valuable visitor market this year.

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