VisitBritain new content increased visitor numbers

travmedia.com:
VisitBritain today welcomed new figures that show that between March and May 2004, six and a half million international visitors travelled to the UK, representing the highest ever-recorded numbers of visitors for this period. The figures from the Office for National Statistics support a trend of a strong recovery from 2003, where the concerns over the war in Iraq and SARS had a major impact on world travel.

The increase has been driven by visitors from Western Europe and an increasingly large number of visitors from long haul destinations outside of North America. Set against a background of a continued rise in oil prices and a high exchange rate the statistics show that Britain continues to be a destination of choice for many world travelers.

"The roll out of VisitBritain�s third generation website, www.visitbritain.com will also be an important tool for capturing visitor information and vital data on consumer trends thus further growing the organisation�s consumer database. The website is now live in all countries except Japan, where a scheduled launch will take place in October. A programme of adding new content to the websites continues with additions this month focusing on the experiences available in Britain, including �taste�, �good living�, �touring�, �education� and �gardens�.

The figures in full are:

VISITS SPEND
(000) % change 04/03 �m % change04/03

MARCH 2004 � MAY 2004 6,540 +22 2,710 +10
North America 1,040 +17
Western Europe 4,460 +21
Rest of World 1,030 +30

MAY 04 ONLY 2,330 +28 1,010 +8
North America 380 +8
Western Europe 1,520 +28
Rest of World 430 +54

YEAR-TO-DATE 10,090 +17 4,175 +9
North America 1,560 +15
Western Europe 6,850 +17
Rest of World 1,680 +22

Please note these figures are not seasonally adjusted
Figures quoted for single months may occasionally be subject to a variance of +/- 10%"