Britain’s largest increase in visitor numbers came from India and Ireland this summer, new information has shown.
Expedia have released a report that profiles the visitors to hotels in Britain during July, August and September this year. It shows that the number of Irish and Indian guests at UK hotels both rose by more than 33% in Q3.
The number of travellers from both Spain and Hong Kong rose by nearly 30%, with Canadian visitors not far behind with a 25% increase.
UK hotels enjoyed a rise in visitors generally in Q3, with the weakened pound following the Brexit vote likely to have drawn in tourists.
Travellers from the US in particular took advantage of the better exchange rate, spending the most of all overseas visitors at an average of £150 per room per night. The average daily rate for a hotel room was £113 during the summer months, which was 1.6% higher than last year.
The report also showed a marked increase in interest in regional cities across the UK. While London retained the top spot, Bournemouth saw 25% more visitors. Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Brighton all recorded an increase of more than 20%, and Edinburgh had a 16% boost.
Expedia director of market management for the UK & Ireland Julie Cheneau said: “Overall our hotel partners enjoyed a strong quarter with those across a number of regional cities and seaside destinations enjoying impressive growth compared to the same period last year.
“Demand from certain key international markets spiked following the Brexit result, likely due to a range of factors including a weaker pound but also because the UK summertime is popular with international guests.”