UK could expect boost in visits from US during Thanksgiving week

The UK could see a rise in visitors from the United States during Thanksgiving week, with flight bookings showing a rise of 20% compared with the same period in 2017.

According to data from ForwardKeys, which analyses global travel trends, the US is the UK’s “most valuable inbound visitor” market for tourism spend. Visitors from the US spent a record £3.6bn across the UK last year, up 9% on the previous year, and visits from the US grew 13% to 3.9 million in 2017, the highest since 2000.

The group said the increase echoes a longer-term trend, with forward bookings from the US to the UK up 27% from November 2018 to April 2019 compared with the same period previously.

VisitBritain director Patricia Yates, said: “We want the UK to be the number one destination for US travellers so it is great to see forward bookings looking strong in the coming weeks and months from our most valuable visitor market. With our hotels and shops, our visitor attractions and accommodation offering great value for US travellers it is a great time to book a trip.

“Working with partners including American Airlines, British Airways, Norwegian Air and Virgin Atlantic we are boosting route connectivity and seat capacity, making it easier for US visitors to travel and to explore further through regional gateways such as Manchester, driving growth from tourism across our nations and regions.”