Boom predicted for UK tourism
29/07/2010
The UK tourism industry is set to boom over the next decade, Travel Weekly has reported.
According to a report by Deloitte and Oxford Economics, commissioned by VisitBritain, the current £115 billion a year generated by domestic and overseas visitors is expected to rise to £188 billion by 2020.
The number of tourism-related jobs is also expected to increase, from the current 2.63 million to 2.89 million over the next 10 years.
Favourable exchange rates and the hosting of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London are likely to contribute to the boom, the report stated.
Christopher Rodrigues, VisitBritain chairman, commented, "This makes it clear that tourism, already Britain's fifth largest industry and third biggest earner of foreign exchange, is going to be central to the health of the British economy for years to come."
"The continuing low level of the pound and the approaching Olympics in 2012 give us a tremendous opportunity to promote Britain’s attractiveness as a destination to the rest of the world."
UK travel insurance is available from Virgin Money for those embarking on a domestic break.
