ABOUT INBOUND TOURISM:WHY IT MATTERS
Tourism is one of the largest industries in the UK. It is our third largest export earner behind the chemical industry and financial services.
According to a recent Deloitte Study, in 2009 tourism was worth in total £155.4 bn to the UK economy, equivalent to 8.9% of the UK's Gross Domestic Product.
One in twelve jobs in the UK is currently supported by tourism.
The number of jobs that tourism supports is forecast to grow by over 250,000 by 2020.
In 2010 some 29.6 milion visitors came to the UK from other countries, spending £16.7 billion. In the same year, Anholt Nations GfK Brands Index ranked the UK fourth as a 'nation brand' just behind the USA, Germany and France.
In 2010 the top five inbound tourism markets to the UK in terms of numbers of visits were France, Germany, the USA, the Irish Republic and Spain. In the same year, the top five inbound tourism in terms of total spend were the USA, Germany, France, Australia and the Irish Republic. For further information on inbound tourism, Visit Britain has an extensive range of research data available click here
