Tourists to UK ‘to spend record levels in 2015’

Spending by tourists visiting the UK is expected to reach record levels next year, the government has said.
Spending by overseas visitors will top £22bn for the first time, according to forecasts by tourism body VisitBritain.
Tourists spent £21bn in 2013, while this year’s total is forecast to be about £21.3bn.
There has also been a surge in the number of Chinese tourists and the amount they are spending. They spent £492m in 2013, up from £184m in 2010.
Over that period, the number of visits from Chinese people rose by 79.1% to 196,000.
Overall, the number of visits by people from overseas is expected to increase next year, with 35.1 million trips expected – up 2.5% on this year and compared with 29.8 million in 2010.
In 2010, the total spend from overseas visitors was £16.8bn.