VisitBritain revamps global websites as US arrivals stagnate

VisitBritain is relaunching its global websites featuring “next generation” functionality, improved navigation and accessibility.

Online purchases are available coupled with thousands of pages of content.

The first site, www.visitbritain.us, supports the recent launch of the three-year ‘Be A Brit Different’ campaign in the US and comes against a stagnation in North American visitors to the UK.

North American visits remained static at 460,000 in the first two months of the year – blamed on the increasing strength of sterling against the dollar, although this is not a peak travel time for these visitors, VisitBritain pointed out.

Provisional 2006 data shows that total inbound visits were up 7% on 2005 to 32.14 million and spending reached £15.4 billion (up 8%).

Visits from France reached 3.7 million in 2006, overtaking the US for the first time since 1997.

Although the £2.7 billion that Americans spent in the UK remains the largest amount of any international visitor and more than twice the amount the French spent, it has increased only 14.5% year-on-year compared to 31.5% by the French and a 21% increase by the Spanish.

The US remains Britain’s most important source of visitor spending, representing nearly a fifth (18%) of all inbound visitor spending and bringing £2.7 billion to the national economy and tourism businesses. Although spending by Americans was up 14.5% last year, this is largely supported by business visits which rose 15.4% compared to a 5.6% rise in holiday spending, according to VisitBritain.

Short breaks of 1-3 nights are now the most popular option for Americans – traditionally long-staying, high-spending visitors – and now make up 36% of all visits from the US.

Figures for January–February 2007 indicate that overseas residents made 4.2 million visits to the UK, a 4% increase on the same period in 2006, and spent £1.8 billion (up 6%).

The greatest increase in visits so far this year came from the 12 ‘accession’ countries which have joined the EU since May 2004 and have seen visits rise by 23% to 450,000. VisitBritain has identified some of these countries – specifically the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland – as key growth areas.

The ‘Rest of World’ region is also performing more strongly than European destinations that are more mature sources of Britain’s inbound visitors, according to the national tourism agency.

VisitBritain chief executive Tom Wright admitted that “challenges remain in an increasingly competitive global tourism environment”.

He said: “We must continue to convince international visitors – and leisure visitors in particular – to stay longer and spend more while they are here.

“More and more of our visitors now come from countries that are less familiar with the full range of experiences available here and we must explore ever-more creative means if we are to attract them as well as support visits from more traditional source markets.”

While holidays remained most popular (10.4 million) in 2006, year-on-year increases in holiday spending (+7.8%) was less than the 12.3% increase in business spending. Business visitors spent £4.6 billion in the UK last year.

Short breaks continue to be the most popular option for international visitors. They took 13.8 million trips of 1-3 nights’ duration last year – 43% of all visits – and an increase of 7.3% on 2005.

Short breaks are now worth £3.8 billion, a 11.3% increase. Spending on breaks of 1-7 nights has increased twice as much as breaks of 8 or more nights.

Within breaks of 1-7 nights, business trips (+14.1%) have grown twice as much as holidays (+7.1%) year-on-year.

Visitors from the UAE continue to be high-spenders in the UK and stay for an average of 14 nights – making them one of the longest staying visitors in Britain. Their visits have risen to 170,000 from 133,000 in 2005 (up +28%) and spending has increased by more than a fifth to £194 million – a ten year high. This has been supported by a recent shopping campaign by VisitBritain in the region.

Polish visitors (1.27 million) now number more than the traditional long haul markets of Australia (912,000) and Japan (323,000) combined. Visits have increased +22.5% year-on-year with spending up +21% to £470 million.

The Japanese remain Britain’s most important visitors from Asia-Pacific, but both visits (323,000) and spending (£208 million) are down on the previous year with spending falling 23%.

Britain could also ask the Aussies “where the bloody hell are you?” according to VisitBritain. Their visits have remained static at 912,000 and their spending has dropped 4% to £621 million.

Russia and India are performing strongly with visits up +29% and +25% respectively and spending up +54% and +30%. Russians spent £209 million on 229,000 visits here last year, while the 339,000 visits made by Indians in 2006 contributed £294 million to the UK’s economy.

by Phil Davies