November proved to be a record-breaking month for inbound tourism and spend to the UK.
Arrivals rose by 17% year-on-year to 3.1 million, while spending grew by 14% to £1.7 billion.
Visitor numbers for the January to November period rose by 3% to 34.5 million with spending up 1% to £20.4 billion, according to latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.
The number of high value travellers from the US and Canada increased by 28% over November 2015 to 300,000, with a 4% rise to 23.3 million arrivals from European Union countries.
VisitBritain projects a further rise of 4% to 38.1 million inbound trips this year with spending expected to grow by 8% to £24.1 billion.
Tourism minister Tracey Crouch said: “Our tourism industry is booming as Britain cements its reputation as one of the world’s must-visit destinations.
“I am particularly pleased that there are an increasing number of visits from important markets like the US, with tourism making a significant contribution to our economy.
“We are committed to helping the sector grow even further, so the benefits are spread far and wide across the country.”
VisitBritain chief executive Sally Balcombe added: “These figures demonstrate our tourism industry’s crucial role in showing that our nation is welcoming and open for business, and its increasing importance as a driver of economic growth.
“We are seeing success in growing tourism from our high value markets including the US and we are competing strongly in Europe.
“We are seizing the opportunity to build on this, promoting a message of value, welcome and showcasing the amazing experiences that visitors can only get here.”