VisitBritain launched the global “Starring GREAT Britain” campaign in January, using screen tourism to promote Britain’s destinations
In 2025, VisitBritain, the national tourism agency of Great Britain, expects 43.4 million international visitors, marking a 5 pc increase from the previous year’s 41.2 million. This growth signals a positive trend for the United Kingdom’s tourism sector, reflecting ongoing efforts to attract more visitors.
In a press statement VisitBritain says that visitor spending is also expected to grow, with a forecasted GBP 33.7 billion, an increase of 7 pc compared to 2024.
It adds that the United States continues to be the largest and most valuable market for the United Kingdom, with American visitors expected to spend a record GBP 6.7 billion, up 9 pc from 2024.
VisitBritain says that the visits and spending from European markets are growing, though the growth varies across countries. Recovery from East Asia is slower, but China is expected to become the UK’s fifth largest inbound market, with a predicted spend of GBP 1.6 billion.
It adds that VisitBritain’s analysis suggests that if inbound tourism to the UK continues to grow at the current pace, the sector could contribute an additional GBP 4.4 billion annually to the UK economy by 2030.
It further adds that this aligns with the government’s goal to attract 50 million international visitors per year by 2030.
The statement adds that to support these goals, VisitBritain launched the global “Starring GREAT Britain” campaign in January, using screen tourism to promote Britain’s destinations through popular films and TV shows.
Chris Bryant
It adds that the campaign aims to inspire visitors to explore regional locations and extend their stays in the UK.
VisitBritain says that it is also working to ensure that regional destinations benefit from increased international visitation. Through partnerships and events like the recent Showcase Britain, VisitBritain is collaborating with international travel buyers to promote British destinations and products.
“It is no secret that the United Kingdom is one of the best places to visit in the world. With bustling cities and towns, stunning countryside, beautiful beaches, amazing film and TV locations, remarkable historic sights and first-class culture and entertainment, there is something for everyone and we want to encourage more people to visit even more parts of our incredible country. We have an ambition to welcome 50 million international visitors a year to the United Kingdom by 2030 and this positive forecast shows that we are well on our way to achieving this, setting the scene for our visitor economy to maintain its competitive edge and thrive for years to come,” says Chris Bryant, Tourism Minister.
Patricia Yates
“International visitors spend tens of billions of pounds in the UK with the money generated supporting jobs, businesses and driving growth for local economies, so it is encouraging to see the steady increase forecast this year on 2024. Inbound tourism is already delivering year-on-year growth in value of 7 pc, with huge potential to generate further growth for the economy. Tourism is also an extremely competitive global industry; visitors have a lot of choice, and we face fierce competition especially from our European neighbours. To drive tourism to Britain, supporting the UK Government’s ambition to reach 50 million visitors annually by 2030, our international campaigns are focused on markets showing growth including Australia and the US, as well as our major European markets and the valuable Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries,” says Patricia Yates, VisitBritain, CEO.
“We also want more regional destinations across Britain to feel tourism’s economic benefits. Our recently launched global ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign is using the powerful draw of screen tourism to showcase our vibrant cities, contemporary culture and beautiful coast and countryside, alongside our welcome, encouraging visitors to broaden their itineraries, stay longer and to come now,” she adds.
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