20/06/2021
United Kingdom- Home of amazing moments
The United Kingdom is the world’s 10th biggest tourist destination, with over 37 million visiting in 2018. The tourism industry contributed a total of £213 billion to the GDP in 2017, which is expected to increase to £265 billion by 2028.
US$31.93 billion was spent in the UK by foreign tourists in 2017. VisitBritain data shows that the USA remains the most valuable inbound market, with American visitors spending £2.1 billion in 2010. Nevertheless, the number of travellers originating from Europe is much larger than those travelling from North America: 21.5 million compared to 3.5 million American/Canadian visitors.[4] After a 7-year rise, tourism to the United Kingdom declined sharply from 2017 to 2018.
The country’s principal tourist destinations are London, Edinburgh, Oxford, Cambridge, York, and Canterbury. The United Kingdom hosts a total of 32 World Heritage sites, the 8th most in the world. The Lonely Planet travel guide voted England number 2, after Bhutan, as one of the best countries to visit in 2020. Some of the most popular cities include London, Edinburgh and Manchester and notable attractions include the Palace of Westminster, the London Eye and Edinburgh Castle.
Tourism is the fastest growing industry in the United Kingdom and it is expected to grow by 3.8% annually until 2025, 0.5% higher than the global average, and is responsible for 10% of all jobs.
The United Kingdom is the 10th most visited country in the world and the 4th most visited country in Europe.. Overall Europe has a 40% market share of total global tourist visits worldwide, with the United Kingdom contributing heavily. Lockdowns necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced the number of visitors in 2020, and into 2021.