Following a year which the UK is expected to recover of to 73% of pre-pandemic visitor numbers – including strong arrivals from Canada – VisitBritain is forecasting 35.1 visits in 2023, representing 86% of the nearly 41 million visitors the destination welcomed in 2019.
Visits from Canada and the USA were particularly strong through the summer, reaching 2.1 million between June and August, up 7% on the same period in 2019 and marking the highest August on record for visits from North America.
Visit Britain’s inbound tourism forecast for 2023 similarly suggests continued strong recovery in overseas visitor spending, which is predicted to grow faster than visitor volume, with higher spending also per trip, in part reflecting the continuing trend of longer stays.
The overall forecast for spending by international visitors in the UK is £29.5 billion (CDN$46 billion) in 2023, up 4% on the all-time spending high of £28.4 billion ($44.3 billion) in 2019.
“Our priority has been to rebuild international visitor value, so it is very encouraging to see the continued strong recovery forecast in spend, supporting jobs, small businesses and local economies right across the country,” says VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates.
“Canada and the USA are important markets to drive the recovery of inbound tourism to Britain and the high number of visits and spend through summer 2022 demonstrate that the demand for travel to Britain remains strong in North America,” adds VisitBritain’s Executive VP for the Americas, Gavin Landry.
VisitBritain is set to launch a new ‘GREAT Britain; marketing campaign, including working with the travel trade, early in the new year to drive bookings, inspiring visitors to ‘See Things Differently,’ promoting messages of warm welcome and highlighting Britain as a dynamic, adventurous, and inclusive destination.
The campaign will also capture major events in 2023 including the Coronation of King Charles III in May and Liverpool hosting the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool on behalf of Ukraine, also in May to “promote Britain’s welcome and creativity and ability to host events of the highest caliber.”
VisitBritain’ research earlier this year showed that exploring Britain’s history and heritage is the top motivator for international travellers keen to visit this year, followed by visiting its vibrant towns and cities.
The research has also showed that the biggest drivers for visitors globally in choosing a destination are that it offers ‘good value for money’ and is a ‘welcoming place to visit.’
More than half of people surveyed who were keen to travel had also not made up their minds where to go, presenting, says VisitBritain, valuable opportunities to influence destination choice and drive bookings.