Latest figures from VisitBritain show a record 19.2 million visits to the UK in the first half of 2017, up 9% compared to the start of 2016.
Inbound visitors spent £10.8 billion between January and June 2017, up 14% on the same time last year.
ԬլThe highest growth was in the North West, with 1.5 million visits, up 14% on the same period last year, and the West Midlands, with 1.1 million visits, also up 14%.
Overseas visitor spend in the North West was up 40% to £684 million in the first six months of 2017, while the West Midlands saw a 12% increase in inbound spend in the first six months, up to £387 million. ‘¨
Visits to London between January and June 2017 were up 13% to 10 million, a record first six months.
Overseas visitor spend also reached record levels in the capital, at £6.1 billion in the first six months of this year, up 16%.
The statistics also show that international visits to Scotland in the first half of the year were up 14% to a record 1.3 million, with spend setting another record of £956 million, up 35%.
