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Easter ‘first real test’ for UK tourism
VisitBritain has described Easter as the “first real test” of whether the London bombings are still having an affect on tourism.
It said the next two weeks will go a long way to determining just what lasting impact the events of July 7 will have.
And the prospects appear mixed, according to figures VisitBritain quoted from BAA and Office of National Statistics (ONS).
“Easter falls three weeks later this year which means more hours of daylight and potentially better weather,” VisitBritain said in a trading update. “Easter will be the first real test in 2006 of whether there is still a post July 7 impact on the inbound holiday market.”
It said ONS figures show that in the final three months of 2005, holiday visits were 12% down on 2004, while business tourism increased 10%.
BAA figures, meanwhile, give “cause for optimism” regarding trends in the number of visitors from Asia and Far East although there remains “continued concern” for prospects for North America.
VisitBritain said there was also hope with exchange rates with US travellers seeing improvements in the strength of the dollar.
Visit London painted a brighter picture, saying attractions in the capital have had an encouraging start to the year with visits rising after a period of decline.
Turning to domestic tourism, VisitBritain predicted 23% of adults are planning a trip over the next two weeks, 60% of whom will stay overnight in England.
Visit Wales and VisitScotland both reported “feel good” factors.
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