The Royal Wedding is expected to help to boost visitor arrivals to the UK by 300,000 in 2011.
The number of inbound travellers is forecast to rise by 1% to 30 million as confidence among overseas tourists continues to rise despite global financial uncertainties, VisitBritain has predicted.
The amount they spend is set to increase by 2% to £17.2 billion, up £0.34 billion. But this figure is considerably lower in real terms than the best year for inbound visitor spend in 2006 with spending of £18.4 billion at 2010 prices.
Inbound business trips to the UK also continue to regain some of the substantial amount of ground lost after the global economic crisis broke in summer 2008, rising 4% in the year to October 2010.
The gradually improving picture emerges in the latest foresight of future prospects by the national tourism agency. It shows that the global economic recovery is strong across much of Asia but remains fragile in many parts of Europe and North America – two regions that account for 85% of all international visits to the UK.
“That means pressure will grow on travellers’ disposable income during 2011, as global commodity prices rise and taxes increase in many parts of the world,” VisitBritain said.
“On the positive side, the prolonged highly competitive value of sterling against a range of currencies including the euro and the dollar continues to make a trip to Britain very good value for European and American visitors in particular.”
VisitBritain intends to capitalise on the worldwide interest in the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29 to showcase the whole country.
This will be followed by the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012 – a trio of “exceptional events” which will focus the world’s attention on Britain.
VisitBritain chief executive Sandie Dawe said: “We are looking forward to an exciting and challenging 2011.
“The eyes of the world will be on Britain as we host the Royal Wedding and momentum will build as we near the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“We plan to roll out our new campaign this spring with our industry partners, inviting the world to visit Britain. Our aim is to get Britain on the radar of those who have never travelled here and also to reinvigorate our appeal in core markets such as the USA and near Europe.”
The fifth annual British Tourism Week will centre around an event to rally the nation’s most precious seaside attractions with a string of simultaneous parties hosted on seaside piers, harbours and jetties around the coast and on inland rivers, canals and lakes on March 12.
More than 30 piers have shown interest joining the ‘Party on The Pier’ celebrations, making it one of the biggest linked parties ever held at different locations in Britain.
Author, humourist and one-time Tory MP Gyles Brandreth, patron of the National Piers Society, and a number of celebrities are due to take part.