UK boosted by high-value Asian market
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The UK’s tourism board, VisitBritain, has embarked on its annual mission to the Asia Pacific region, in an effort to build on a record-breaking year for tourist arrivals and revenues from the region.
Tapping into some of the world’s fastest-growing economies and outbound tourism markets, the three-day Destination Britain event is being held at the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur hotel from 12-14 May 2014, and will see a selection of tourism operators from the UK meet with the local travel trade and media.
Addressing delegates on Tuesday morning, Keith Beecham, VisitBritain’s overseas director, revealed that the UK welcomed 4.3 million arrivals from Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA) last year, 7% up compared to 2012 and a new annual record. Visitor spending from the region however, surged 22% to GBP6.3 billion (US$10.6bn). So while Asian arrivals only account for only 13% of total visitation to the UK, the region’s visitors contributed almost one third of the country’s annual tourism revenues.
Helen Grant, the UK’s Minister for Sport, Tourism & Equalities, said she was pleased with the growth.
“The focus is always on visitor numbers and spend, the two go in tandem,” the minister told Travel Daily. “We want people to come and we want them to enjoy their holiday. It’s very nice that people are spending more but it doesn’t surprise me because there are a lot of things that you can spend your money on.”
VisitBritain’s CEO, Sandie Dawe, added that while the UK wasn’t specifically targeting the high-end market, the Asia Pacific market tends to drive a higher level of spending.
“[APMEA] tends to be higher end, in that people who are attracted to Britain are better educated and more affluent than the average of their country. If you can afford to travel that distance, you tend to be above average affluence,” Ms Dawe said.
The extra length-of-stay (12-16 nights for the APMEA market) associated with the long-haul market also boosts Asia’s value to the UK.
Unsurprisingly, mainland China was one of the main growth markets for the UK in the APMEA region, with double-digit growth in terms of both tourist arrivals and receipts. The country contributed 196,000 visitors in 2013, up 10.0% year-on-year. But Chinese visitors spent GBP492 million in the UK last year, which marked a 64% jump from 2012. This makes China the third highest spending market in the APMEA region, behind Australia (GBP1.19bn) and UAE (GBP527m).
Other fast-growing markets in terms of visitor spending include India (+32% to GBP441m) Hong Kong (+34% to GBP249m), Malaysia (+77% to GBP246m), South Korea (+83% to GBP190m) and Thailand (+55% to GBP117m).
Sixty UK tourism suppliers, including attractions, hoteliers, ground handlers, tourist boards and transport providers are in KL this week to meet with 93 international buyers attending from 21 markets.
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