October results from The International Passenger Survey, collated by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), show visitors spent £2.3 billion in the UK – the highest for that month and up 19% on last year.

This comes from 3.4 million visitors in the period, which has increased 3% year-on-year.

It was a busy August to October, with the number of people choosing to holiday in the UK reaching more than four million.

The statistics also reveal the importance of the American market, with 3.5 million visits from across the pond and £3.4 billion spent by US tourists from January to September 2019. 

Visitors from China spent £553 million during this period, up 11%.

“These record-breaking figures underpin a longer-term pattern of growth from our long-haul high spending markets, demonstrating Britain’s continued ability to compete internationally for visitors in a fiercely competitive global environment,” said Patricia Yates, VisitBritain’s director.

“The results also reinforce tourism’s importance as a driver of economic growth and its role in promoting a positive, welcoming image of Britain globally.”

The ONS figures bring the number of inbound UK tourists from January to October to 32.8 million.