Tourism Industry in London

The Tower of London

Great Britain's national tourism agency, VisitBritain, estimates 29.9 overseas visitors to the U.K. in 2009, drawn by the attractions of Big Ben, the River Thames and the historical charm of London.

Frequency

Of those who visited London in 2009 for a vacation or extended getaway 42 percent were first-time visitors. This includes those who had never been to the city before in addition to travelers visiting again for the first time in 10 years or more. A total of 58 percent of those who vacationed in London in 2009 were repeat visitors.

Markets

Travelers from the United States comprise the largest percentage of visitors to the city, with 12.9 percent of the 2009 visitors. The French made up 10.9 percent of London visitors and Germans wereth the third-most frequency at 7.5 percent, followed by Spaniards and Italians.

Economics

In 2009 14 million overseas visitors strolled into London, a drop of nearly 5 percent from the previous year. "Average visitor spend in London is $944, with some major variations around this figure. The Taiwanese $3,600 and Saudis $3,250 are the highest spenders," writes Visit London, the city's official tourism department.

References

• VisitBritain
• Visit London: Leading Overseas Markets 2009