HC Deb 17 June 2003 vol 407 cc148-9W
Nick Harvey

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent by(a) domestic and (b) foreign tourists in the UK in each quarter for each of the last 10 years. [119143]

Mr. Caborn

The available data on quarterly expenditure by domestic and foreign tourists in the UK over the last 10 years are shown in the table.

Quarterly expenditure by domestic and foreign tourists in the UK for each of the last 10 years1
£ million
Quarter Expenditure by foreign tourists in the UK Expenditure by UK tourists in the UK
Q1 1993 1,658
Q2 1993 2,193
Q3 1993 3,516
Q4 1993 2,120
1993 total 9,487
Q1 1994 1,688
Q2 1994 2,343
Q3 1994 3,649
Q4 1994 2,105
1994 total 9.786
Q2 1995 2,768
Q3 1995 4,162
Q4 1995 2,803
1995 total 11,763 20,072
Q1 1996 2,175
Q2 1996 3,021
Q3 1996 4,225
Q4 1996 2,869
1996 total 12,290 22,041
Q1 1997 2,165
Q2 1997 2,979
Q3 1997 4,229
Q4 1997 2,870
1997 total 12,244 24,137
Q1 1998 2,250
Q2 1998 3,200
Q3 1998 4,212
Q4 1998 3,009
1998 total 12,671 22,814
Quarterly expenditure by domestic and foreign tourists in the UK for each of the last 10 years1
£ million
Quarter Expenditure by foreign tourists in the UK Expenditure by UK tourists in the UK
Q1 1999 2,412
Q2 1999 3,064
Q3 1999 4,148
Q4 1999 2,874
1999 total 12,498 25,635
Q1 2000 2,314 4,202
Q2 2000 3,297 6,993
Q3 2000 4,284 8,998
Q4 2000 2,911 5,940
2000 total 12,805 26,133
Q1 2001 2,406 4,303
Q2 2001 2,815 5,801
Q3 2001 3,819 9,207
Q4 2001 2,266 6,782
2001 total 11,306 26,094
Q1 2002 2,065 5,096
Q2 2002 2,946 6,892
Q3 2002 4,068 8,521
Q4 2002 2,780 6,192
2002 total 11,859 26,699
1Quarterly data from the UK Tourism Survey is only available back to the start of 2000 due to a significant change in the survey methodology in 1999. Annual totals from 1995–99 were subsequently reworked to allow comparison with the data for 2000 onwards.

Sources:

International Passenger Survey, UK Tourism Survey

Mr. Sanders

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to reverse the recent fall in monthly tourism nights taken by holiday makers in England. [119354]

Mr. Caborn

The most recent statistics from the UK Tourism Survey show that UK residents took more monthly tourism nights in the UK in January and February this year than they did in the same period in 2002.

Statistics from the Office for National Statistics show that the total number of international visits to the UK, including all types of visits rather than just holidays, fell around the time of the recent war in Iraq. However figures for new arrivals in the UK in April 2003 indicate that visitor levels are recovering quickly following the end of the war.

Visit Britain is responsible for promoting Britain overseas and England domestically. On St. George's Day a new campaign called 'Enjoy England' was launched, to promote England as a tourist destination to the domestic market. A US advertising campaign was launched in June targeting key American 'gateway' cities; this campaign is a unique partnership between the public and private sectors. Visit Britain is also currently planning a European 'British Cities' campaign to be launched in autumn 2003, marketing British cities, including some 'Capital of Culture' candidates.