Brits ditch foreign travel in recession
RECESSION-HIT Britons cut back on overseas travel last year, with business trips down by almost a quarter, the Office for National Statistics said yesterday.
Overseas visits fell by 15 per cent in total to 58.6m, the fastest rate of decline seen since the 1970s when foreign travel started to become a more regular feature of British life rather than a luxury. Many now take a so-called “staycation” in Britain.
The economy contracted by 6.4 per cent between the second quarter of 2008 and the third quarter of 2009 when a fragile recovery took hold.
A decline in the value of sterling against the dollar and the euro would also have diluted demand for foreign travel when Britons were tightening their belts.
Visits to Britain by foreign residents fell by 6.3 per cent to 29.9m overall, with inbound business travel declining by 19 per cent.
However, earnings from visits to Britain were up to £16.6bn from £16.3bn. London remained the most popular city for foreign visitors, followed by Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow. British spending overseas fell to £31.7bn, a drop of £5.1bn. Egypt, Jamaica and Lithuania bucked the negative trend, attracting more British tourists.
Visits to Mexico dropped by 41 per cent. Most Britons head to European countries like
France or Spain if they travel abroad, and the United States also remains a popular destination.