Visits To U.K. On The Decline

LONDON— The number of overseas visits to the United Kingdom during the year to the end of April 2002 decreased by 8% compared with a year earlier, according to recent figures from the International Passenger Survey conducted in the U.K. Vistor spending dropped by 16% during the same period, too. The declines were the result of the number of visits from Western Europe decreasing by 5%, the number of visits from North America decreasing by 12% and from other areas also decreasing by 12%. However, in the three months to the end of April, total visitor numbers to the U.K. were virtually unchanged against the same period in 2001, according to the survey, which was conducted by the National Statistics, based here. SOURCE: caterer.com