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VisitBritain optimistic to top 25m visitor mark in 2004
Visitor numbers to the UK in December were up on the previous year, but more importantly they couldn’t push total annual visitor figures above the crucial 25 million mark, breached in 2000. There were just over six million visitors to the UK in the last quarter of 2003, up 6% from the previous year, and up nearly 9% from the same quarter in 2000, according to figures from the International Passenger Survey (IPS). Despite a good performance in the last quarter, the figures have not managed to push the yearly total above that of 2000. In 2003 there were a total 24.7 million visitors to the UK, which is up 2% on 2002. But in 2000 there were over 25 million visitors, and in fact, according to IPS figures, total visitor numbers to the UK exceeded 25 million in every year between 1996 and 2000. VisitBritain chief executive, Tom Wright said he was hopeful that the UK could exceed the 25 million mark this year. He said that VisitBritain estimates an increase of inbound tourism of 3.3% taking total visitor numbers to 25.5 million. He also said that VisitBritain’s campaign in North America had done much to raise the profile of the UK across the pond. He said: “Particularly encouraging is the fact that there were 280,000 visitors from North America to the UK in December 2003, a record number for this month, and a 16% increase on December 2002.”
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