The 'Brexit Bump' Just Gave UK Tourism Its Biggest Month Ever

Patrick Clarke
by Patrick Clarke
Last updated: 5:00 PM ET, Tue October 11, 2016

July 2016 turned out to be a record month for U.K. tourism.

Citing new figures from VisitBritain, The Guardian reported 3.8 million people visited Great Britain over the course of July, spending more than £2.5 billion ($3.05 billion) with the pound falling to its lowest level in three decades.

The spending signals a 4 percent increase over July 2015.

The encouraging tourism figures come on the heels of a record 2015 for the U.K., in which it welcomed more than 36 million inbound visitors who spent in excess of £22 billion.

Undoubtedly aided by the pound's plummet following June's European Union membership referendum vote, the record month was spurred by a jump in visits from EU nations, with the key market accounting for 2.3 million of the 3.8 million visits.

The figure represents a 3 percent jump from July 2015.

[READMORE] READ MORE: The Brexit Bump? Tourism Outlook Is Positive [/READMORE]

"Tourism is a shining star in an uncertain world," VisitBritain chairman Christopher Rodrigues told the Guardian. "As our fourth-biggest service export, and one of our fastest growing sectors, tourism's importance as a key economic driver and job creator is clear."

"While the talk is of trade deals with new markets, tourism is already leading the way, competing strongly in our most valuable source markets such as the U.S. and in markets that are crucial for our future, including China."

Bookings from China to the U.K. between October and December 2016 have risen by nearly 25 percent, per the Guardian.

Given July's historic tourism numbers, the outlook appears bright for the rest of 2016. After all, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) projected growth of 3.6 percent for 2016 this past summer.


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Patrick Clarke

Patrick Clarke

Senior Editor

A Maryland native and wanderer who has lived across the U.S. from North Carolina to SoCal, Patrick Clarke graduated from Towson University with a B.S. in journalism. He previously worked for Bleacher

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