Mubasher: Visitors from GCC nations to the United Kingdom rose 2% in the first quarter of 2018 to 161,000 from a year ago.
GCC tourists spent around $468 million in the UK between January and March, up 11% from the same period of the prior year, the UK tourism board VisitBritain reported.
With around $3,500 spent per visit, recent statistics showed that GCC visitors were among the UK’s highest spenders, indicating that tourists from the GCC spend more than four times the average of $800 spent by visitors from other markets.
“Britain’s attractions, hotels, shops, and luxury goods are all offering great value right now, making it an attractive choice for visitors from the GCC who already rate the UK as a top destination," Tricia Warwick, VisitBritain APMEA interim director, told Arabian Business.
VisitBritain collected its data in coordination with some GCC partners including WeGo and Etihad Airways to showcase how accessible regional Britain is for visitors from the GCC.
The tourism entity also launched a digital campaign ‘Find Your Great Britain, I Travel For…’ using short films and story-telling to attract and inspire more travellers from the GCC.
Warwick noted that the GCC was a very important market for VisitBritain and that the authority was planning to increase the number of tourists from the GCC in the coming period.
"We want Britain to be the must-go-now destination for travellers from the GCC and we are working with our partners including tour operators and airlines to deliver a world-class visitor experience, converting the aspiration to visit into bookings and making it easier to explore more of the country," Warwick added.
In 2017, visitors from the GCC to the UK reached 812,000, up 5% from 2016. They spent a combined value of around $2.87 million.
