§ 65. Mr. Farey-Jonesasked the President of the Board of Trade how many tourists have visited the United Kingdom this year; how this total compares with the comparable period of last year; how many of these came from the dollar area; and what indication he has of the average length of time which these visitors spend in this country.
§ Mr. J. RodgersAbout 372,000 visitors came to the United Kingdom in the first five months of this year compared with 345,000 in the corresponding period of 1958; of these, about 119,000 came from the dollar area, compared with 109,000 last year. Foreign visitors to the United Kingdom last year stayed about ten days on average, and the latest available figures suggest that this year the average period may be slightly longer; information about Commonwealth visitors is less comprehensive, but, in general, they stay in this country for much longer periods, often lasting several months.
§ 66. Mr. Farey-Jonesasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is satisfied that the British Travel and Holiday Association sufficiently emphasise the attractions of places outside the normal tourist centres in their overseas publicity.
§ Mr. J. RodgersOne of the main objectives of the Association's publicity campaign is to persuade overseas visitors to travel widely in Great Britain rather than to concentrate on the recognised tourist centres, and I think they are being fairly successful in this.