Travel, Tourism & Hospitality

UK tourism sector eyes Middle East travellers

Middle Eastern travellers accounted for the highest overseas consumer spend (38 per cent) from January to April last year, as nationals from Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia spent an average of $1,923, $1,663 and $1,570 per person, respectively.

A recent report from card payments processor Worldpay revealed UAE tourists visiting the UK in December spent nearly a third more than they did in the corresponding month in 2015 and, according to predictions from Visit Britain, a taste for luxury goods could see international tourists spend as much as $30.13bn in the country this year, an increase of 8 per cent on 2016.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council the total contribution of travel and tourism to the UK is forecast to reach $363.77 billion (£290.9 billion) by 2026. In 2015, the UAE set a new record for overseas consumer spending in the UK when receipts from 347,000 arrivals increased 12 per cent to reach $608.99 million.

This year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM), a sister event of World Travel Market London, will provide the perfect platform for UK destinations, hotels and attractions, as well as regional outbound tour operators to reach out to the Middle East travellers.

“The UK is a close partner of the UAE and wider Middle East region, in both tourism and trade, welcoming more than one million visitors from January to October 2016 – a year on year increase of 4 per cent." said Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director, Arabian Travel Market, which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 24 – 27.

“The UK will also have strong representation at Expo 2020, as the seventh country to announce its participation. As the fourth largest industry, hospitality and tourism is a lynchpin of the UK economy, currently representing 10 per cent of GDP, or around $178.82 billion,” added Press.

"Furthermore, the UK expects higher overseas consumer spending this year as visitors take advantage of the low exchange rate following last year’s Brexit vote  - the UK voted to leave the European Union in June 2016, a shock result triggering a fall of over 10 per cent in the value of sterling against the US dollar, providing Gulf visitors with added value,” he said.

“The numbers speak for themselves. While Britain has enjoyed a long and rich history of hospitality and heritage, the new conditions have created a favourable opportunity for the UK in the midst of significant economic uncertainties.”

Some of the UK-based exhibitors already committed to participating at this year’s ATM include: AVIS Budget EMEA, CitySpeed Tours, Digital Trip, Hertz MEA, Conxxe, JAC Travel, Let's Travel Services, Miki Travel, Oceandusk Group, RateGain Technologies, Rocco Forte Hotels, The Travelbook Group, Travco Corporation, Travellanda, Traveltek, and Chic Outlets.

Global arrival numbers to Britain are rising steadily and are expected to reach 38.1 million by the end of the year, an increase of 4 per cent on 2016.

Heightened activity was first reported in July 2016, when 3.8 million visitors arrived in a single month, spending $3.12 billion and continuing a long-term pattern of growth - this year Britain is expected to enjoy the biggest rise in tourism spending since the 2012 London Olympics.

CitySpeed Tours said: “We are very excited about exhibiting at this year’s Arabian Travel Market. Every year we are welcoming more and more visitors from the Middle East and the event will provide us with the perfect opportunity to showcase to the region exactly what we offer.” - TradeArabia News Service