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Battered UK tourism facing slow recovery in 2021
The UK’s battered inbound tourism industry will see some respite in 2021, but it must still survive with less than half the arrivals of 2019, according to VisitBritain.
Forecasts from the tourism body suggest arrivals next year will climb 73% to just under 17 million.
But that will still be less than 50% of pre-Covid levels.
Spending by international visitors is expected to rise 59% to £9 billion, less than a third of the record high of £28.4b in 2019.
VisitBritain described the recovery as slow, but ‘encouraging’.
VisitBritain Director Patricia Yates said: "UK tourism businesses usually welcome tens of millions of overseas visitors each year with those visitors spending billions, supporting jobs and local economies right across the country.
"This year of course has been very different with international travel largely at a standstill and businesses having lost months of vital trading. Beginning to see signs of some green shoots is encouraging news for the industry and the economy as we look to 2021 and beyond.
"Tourism is also a fiercely competitive global industry and the key to success will be attracting visitors, those who can travel now, stimulating demand and bookings to drive the quickest return of international tourism spend."
Short haul destinations are likely to recover faster than long haul, although the 13.6m arrivals expected in 2021 will still be half the 27.3m in 2019.
VisitBritain will launch a marketing campaign early next year in major European markets, including Germany and France
The number of long haul arrivals is forecast to hit 3.3m, less than a quarter of the 13.6m in 2019.
The latest VisitBritain’s latest inbound consumer sentiment research showed that a third of international travellers surveyed state they are ‘in the mood’ for travelling abroad in 2021.
More than a quarter surveyed expect to have time and the means to travel abroad but not to book far in advance. One in five had not chosen their destination for 2021, with a similar proportion having postponed plans from 2020 to 2021.
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