The UK government has come under fire for allegedly undermining the tourism sector, following a report that revealed international visitor spending dropped by £2.2 billion in 2024 compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019 — despite overall sector growth.
The findings were published by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), a London-based global industry body.
According to the report, international tourists spent £40.3 billion in the UK in 2024, marking a 5.3% decrease from 2019. This comes even as global tourism continues to rebound from the pandemic’s impact.
However, the broader travel and tourism industry still contributed £286 billion to the UK economy last year — a 3.9% increase from 2019 — and supported 4.2 million jobs nationwide.
WTTC President Julia Simpson, a former adviser to Prime Minister Tony Blair, directly attributed the decline in international visitor spending to policy decisions by the UK government.
Simpson criticised administrative measures such as the introduction of electronic travel authorisations, digital permits, the elimination of tax-free shopping, and increases in air passenger duty — all of which she argued have made the UK less appealing to international travellers.
“This government is all about growth. They’re saving steel plants, rescuing water companies — but they’re ignoring travel and tourism, an industry that contributes 10% of UK GDP and creates thousands of jobs,” Simpson stated.
She emphasised that the government’s failure to prioritise the sector undermines its potential for economic expansion.
Simpson also noted that while global tourism spending has largely rebounded, the UK is still trailing behind.
“The UK has not returned to its pre-pandemic performance, while other countries, especially in Europe, have,” she said.
She pointed to France and Spain as examples of countries outperforming the UK in terms of recovering tourism spend, and warned that Britain is losing ground in a highly competitive sector.
The WTTC President also called for a more robust national campaign to market British culture and heritage globally.
“You need to sell the UK. Sell Harry Potter, Jane Austen, Richard III. Tell stories that attract visitors to all our regions,” she said, arguing that reinvigorating the industry must be led from the highest level of government.
In response, a spokesperson for the UK government defended its strategy, citing the country’s enduring appeal to international travellers.
“The UK remains one of the most visited destinations in the world. International tourism brings billions into our economy,” the spokesperson said.
They added that a new national visitor economy strategy would be launched in autumn 2025 to help drive growth in the sector and achieve the government’s ambition of attracting 50 million international visitors annually by 2030.