Sigh of relief as UK tourism starts to recover

Licensees whose businesses were hit hard by the fall in visitor numbers in 2001 can breathe a sigh of relief as the general fear of flying fades.

Tour operators predict that by the end of the summer figures will only be five per cent below the previous year as people begin to board planes again.

This is despite the fact that during the two months after the attacks on the World Trade Center, the number of air travellers worldwide dropped by a fifth.

Sean Tipton from the Association of British Travel Agents said people are still avoiding some destinations such as the eastern Mediterranean but added that tourists are returning to Europe.

As a result, the tourism industry now expects travellers from abroad to flock back to the UK. This is good news for those licensees who saw a huge fall in visitors as a result of foot-and-mouth and the September 11 attacks.

February was the best month for tourism in a year, with a drop in tourist numbers of just 3.64 per cent, compared with falls of up to 20 per cent in previous months.

The Easter period also proved to be good news for the tourism industry. The English Tourism Council estimated that 2.6 million trips were taken in the UK over the Easter period, with visitors spending around £400m in total. Cornwall, Devon and Norfolk were among the most popular destinations for short breaks. The government is investing £40m in an attempt to encourage foreign holidaymakers to come to the UK.