July 24, 2007
The Brit's aren't coming due to security, delays
Although the UK sends more foreign tourist to NYC than any other country, and the total number of foreign tourists has returned to pre-Sept. 11 levels, don't expect that to last long, the Telegraph of London predicts.
The British aren't coming - at least not like they used to, the paper reports based in part on data from the Office of National Statistics. Since 2001, British visitors to the US have become increasingly disillusioned with the stringent security, over-zealous enforcement of regulations and lengthy delays. However, according to Colin Brodie, the UK director of Visit Florida, it is high fuel surcharges on flights, rather than security, that is putting Britons off. Fuel surcharges for return flights to the US for a family of five are now around £400.
Some in the travel trade believe that the favourable exchange rate has staved off what would be a much bigger decline in visitors.
Geoff Medhurst, XL Leisure Group's managing director, said this week that the US is no longer considered "aspirational" for British travellers, with other destinations growing in appeal. In 2006, around 44 million people visited New York City, including 7 million foreigners, according to statistics from NYC & Co., the city's official tourism bureau. In 2000, there were 6.8 million international visitors, a figure that wasn't reached again until 2005. The 2005 data (the most recent available for this category,) showed 1.1 million NYC tourists were from the UK.
Earlier: Expect very long waits at airport customs this summer
New non-stop to Dublin, and a UK shoppers' gotcha
A 'free' trip to New York from UK, if you shop enough
July 24, 2007 07:16 AM in Arrivology
Comments (0)
®Copyright 2006, All Rights Reserved
|
