Weak pound attracts more tourists from the US

New data reveals…

According to official data the number of visits from North American tourists surged at the start of the year. This was due to the weak pound which may be forcing the British to stay closer to home.

In the first quarter of year 8.1m people visited Britain. This is a seven per cent increase on last year’s figure, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The number of Britons leaving for North America fell three per cent.

Howard Archer, economist at IHS Global Insight, said: “The (data) indicate that the sharply weakened pound is encouraging more visits to the UK from abroad and more spend by visitors,”

“This is especially true of North America, which ties in with the pound’s fall being most pronounced against the U.S. dollar.”

The pound plummeted against the US dollar after Brexit. This instantly made Britain a cheaper place to visit.