Whilst hundreds of thousands of Brits are currently booking their overseas holidays for later in the year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released figures showing that London continues to be a big draw for tourists coming in the other direction.
Between July and September last year, the UK’s capital city welcomed record numbers of international tourists to the city with more than 5.2 million visits, according to the latest official data.
International Passenger Survey
The recently released International Passenger Survey from the ONS revealed a year on year increase in visitor numbers of 5.9%.
Between 2009 and 2014, there was a 22.5% increase in the number of international trips to London and it wasn't just the capital that has seen growth in international tourist numbers.
The UK overall saw 10.5 million international visits between July and September last year, which is an increase of 4.7% on the same quarter in 2014.
Best big city
Reacting to the latest figures, Mayor of London Boris Johnson, said: “London is the best big city on the planet.
“We really know how to roll out the red carpet and put on a show for the millions of visitors who flock here year after year. Only last week, Lumiere London, the city's biggest-ever light festival, gave over a million people an unforgettable experience in the West End and King's Cross.”
Johnson went on to say that the programme of events planned for the capital this year is likely to see even bigger growth in visitor numbers throughout 2016.
Economic boost
It isn't just overseas tourists who are flocking to visit London ether, as Brits from other parts of the country were responsible for a rise in the number of domestic visits to the city too.
During the first nine months of 2015, there were 9.3 million such trips to London which was a 10% increase on the same period in 2010, resulting in an extra £2.25 billion going into London's local economy.
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