Olympics season saw low count of foreign visiters to UK
Date: 13/09/2012      Time: 01:55:00 PM
 
The number of foreign residents' vists to the UK dipped in July despite the lure of the Olympics, it was reported here Thursday. Overseas residents recorded 3.18 million visits to the UK in July 2012, compared to 3.36 million in July last year, according to the Office for National Statistics figures. The amount spent by foreign visitors during July 2012 in the UK reached 2. 01 billion pounds - slightly down on the 2.13 billion pounds figure for July 2011. Despite the dip in July, the number of visits to the UK by foreigners for the first seven months of this year, recorded 17.93 million, 1 percent up on the January-July 2011 total, while spending is up 1 percent to more than 9.82 billion pounds. UK residents made 5.75 million trips abroad in July this year - fractionally up on the total of just under 5.74 million in July 2011. Spendings by Britons while on trips abroad in July this year was 3.56 billion pounds, compared to 3.34 billion pounds in July 2011. Total visits abroad by UK residents in the first seven months of 2012 stand at 31.7 million - about the same as in January-July last year, while their spending is up 3 percent to 17.9 billion pounds.