LONDON (dpa-AFX) - The United Kingdom has unveiled an ambitious plan to welcome to the country 50 million international visitors per year by 2030.
In a keynote speech at the Tourism Alliance conference in London, Tourism Minister Sir Chris Bryant set out the government's plans for the country to remain one of the most visited worldwide, driving economic growth.
A new Visitor Economy Advisory Council, co-chaired by the Minister, will create a National Visitor Economy Strategy, which will be launched next autumn and map out plans to support the growth of the tourism industry.
Growth in the tourism industry beyond London will be at the heart of this strategy. While the British capital attracts tens of millions of visitors each year, the strategy aims to focus on the vast potential for increasing visits to other cities and regions in the country.
'We all know that London is great - one of the best cities in the world. But too many visitors only go to London - in fact when asked by VisitBritain, 57 per cent of visitors could not imagine what there was in the UK outside of London,' Bryant said.
In addition to focusing on inbound and domestic tourism, the Visitor Economy Advisory Council will also look at outbound travel, including the rollout of the EU Entry Exit scheme and eGate access for BritONs at European airports.
The UK attracted 38 million visitors last year. Before the pandemic in 2019 that figure was 41 million.
Tourism is an essential part of the U.K. economy, worth £74 billion, or $94 billion, and 4 per cent of GVA.
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