Poor figures mean increasing ‘tourism deficit’ for United Kingdom

Industry leaders reinforced the call for a lower rate of VAT for the tourism sector as latest data showed an increasing ‘tourism deficit’ for the United Kingdom.

The past two economic quarters suffered a consecutive 4 per cent drops in overseas visits – despite the presence of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London.

Ufi Ibrahim, Chief Executive of the British Hospitality Association said: “Both in terms of international visitor arrivals and domestic tourism, there is a risk that if we don’t act quickly the numbers could stagnate or decline further.”