VisitBritain is planning a new overseas marketing campaign to capitalise on the strong recovery of inbound tourism.
The tourism agency expects international visitors to spend £29.5 billion in the UK next year, up 4% on the all-time high of £28.4 billion in 2019.
The number of visits is expected to be 35.1 million – 86% of the 40.9 million figure in 2019.
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These figures show how spending is predicted to grow faster than visitor numbers, with higher spending also forecast per trip.
Tourism minister Stuart Andrew said: “It is fantastic to see that tourism is continuing to bounce back strongly after the sector received substantial government support during the pandemic.
“This predicted rise in visitor spending will give a further boost to the industry, helping to create new jobs and drive economic growth across the country.”
Patricia Yates, VisitBritain chief executive, added: “Tourism is also an extremely competitive global industry. We’ll be out with a new campaign early next year competing hard in markets where we’re seeing strong growth.
“This includes the US, our most valuable inbound market with spending up 15% so far this year, as well as the Gulf and our major European markets.”
The new GREAT Britain marketing campaign will launch in early 2023 across Europe, the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries and the US.
It aims to inspire 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, with an additional Bank Holiday announced, and Liverpool hosting the Eurovision Song Contest, on behalf of Ukraine, also in May.
VisitBritain has also upgraded its end-of-year forecast for 2022 to 29.7 million inbound visits to the UK, 73% of 2019, and spending of £25.9 billion, 91% of 2019.
This follows an increase in overseas visitor spending in the UK this year with higher spend per visit and longer stays, based on the latest data.
Inbound tourism was worth more than £28 billion to the UK economy in 2019, its third largest service export and a major part of British trade.
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