WHY IT RATES: It seems that U.S. travelers have discovered that the fall is an ideal time to visit the U.K. -Janeen Christoff, TravelPulse Senior Writer
The U.K. could expect a rise in visitors from the United States during Thanksgiving week, with flight bookings showing a rise of 20 percent compared to the same period in 2017.
Data from ForwardKeys shows flight bookings from the US to the UK are up 20 percent from Sunday, November 18 to Saturday, November 24 for 2018 compared to the week when Thanksgiving fell last year. Thanksgiving Day this year is on Thursday, November 22.
The increase echoes a longer-term trend with forward bookings from the U.S. to the U.K. tracking up 27 percent from November 2018 to April 2019 compared to the same period previously.
The U.S. is the U.K.'s most valuable inbound visitor market for tourism spend. Visitors from the US spent a record £3.6 billion (around $4.7 billion) across the U.K. last year, up 9 percent on the previous year. Visits from the US grew 13 percent to 3.9 million in 2017, the highest since 2000.
VisitBritain executive vice president, Americas, Gavin Landry said: "There has never been a better time to book a trip to Britain, with our attractions and accommodation offering great value. US visitors can enjoy classic Thanksgiving traditions, from eating a Thanksgiving feast to watching the NFL games, ice skating and holiday light festivals and displays.
"Working with partners including American Airlines, British Airways, Norwegian Air and Virgin Atlantic, we continue to boost route connectivity and seat capacity, making it easier for US visitors to travel and explore further through regional gateways such as Manchester, driving growth from tourism across our nations and regions. The UK is the number one destination in Europe for US travelers, and it is great to see forward bookings looking strong in the coming weeks and months from our most valuable visitor market."
VisitBritain is also working with content partners in the US including Refinery29, Matador Network, Food52 and Men in Blazers to promote Britain's food and drink, culture and countryside and Premier League-related visitor experiences, telling the stories of destinations inspiring visitors to discover more, travel further and stay longer.
VisitBritain's global campaign "I Travel For…" launched earlier this year in the US and is also shining the spotlight on unexpected experiences and less explored destinations across the UK alongside its globally renowned and iconic landmarks and attractions to drive tourism across the nations and regions.
U.S. perceptions of the U.K. as a visitor destination are strong. The U.S. ranked the U.K. second overall out of 50 nations for its overall brand in the 2018 Anholt Nation Brands Index, up one place on 2017 and equalling its highest ranking ever. The US also rated the UK highly for its vibrant cities and urban attractions and historic buildings and monuments.
Tourism is worth £127 billion to the U.K. economy, creating jobs and boosting economic growth across its nations and regions.
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