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UNITED KINGDOM
by Megan Wynes | May 1, 2010
Summer in the city is all about boutique shopping, fine dining and exploring historical neighbourhoods, as Megan Wynes wanders the ancient wynds of Edinburgh and the bustling lanes of London’s Mayfair
Despite 2009 being a challenging year for the global travel industry, the UK has continued to record some of its highest visitor arrival figures in recent years, and is one of the few countries in Europe to have seen actual tourism growth. Yes, we said growth!
From the Middle East alone Visit Britain has recorded a 14 per cent increase in arrivals for the first half of 2009 over the same period in 2008. And these figures show no signs of abating, with the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) predicting that the contribution of travel and tourism to the UK’s GDP is set to steadily rise from 9.7 per cent in 2010 to 9.9 per cent by 2020.
The weakened pound, of course, has a lot to do with this increased interest, with tourists getting much more for their dollars and euros; the other key driver being the number of UK residents opting to stay closer to home for holidays.
VisitBritain and its associated agencies in Wales, Ireland and Scotland have been quick to recognise this shift, and have actively been campaigning to promote lesser-known attractions in and around the country’s tourism hotspots.
“We are always reinventing our tourism offerings and incorporating new and exciting events and attractions,” says Carol Maddison, UAE marketing manager, Visit Britain.
“With major international events such as the Ryder Cup and the London 2012 Olympics coming up, we have focused on promoting the different options for travellers visiting the UK’s top cities.
“Whether it’s taking a scenic train or bus ride, hiring a car, or taking a short flight, getting from one place to another is easy.”
Indeed, staying in the heart of London’s Mayfair, it is just a quick two-hour flight or four-hour train journey, via Heathrow or Kings Cross, to the heart of historic Edinburgh.
London and Edinburgh; two cities as far removed from each other as they could possibly be in the British Isles, but that share a rich and celebrated history, a royal connection, cosmopolitan culture and flair for the theatrical.
With just a few days in each city, we barely scratch the surface of the wealth of experiences on offer.
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