New search data from the Expedia group, the leading online travel company, shows the continued attractiveness of the UK to visitors from the United States with strong interest this summer.
Searches made in the US in the first four months of this year showed strong double-digit growth of nearly 45% for UK stays in the two-week period 29 July – 12 Aug 2017, when compared to the same period last year. Looking at 2016 data from US travelers, total demand for the UK increased 30% year-on-year when compared to 2015.
Unsurprisingly, the top UK destinations that US travelers are searching for this summer are London, followed by the Scottish capital Edinburgh, then Glasgow, the north and highlands of Scotland and Manchester. The fastest growing locations in search popularity include the South West of England, Wales, Yorkshire, followed by the North of Scotland, including the Highlands.
US travelers are also keen to visit Ireland with Dublin, Galway and Cork all featuring prominently as leading destinations.
Package searches from the US to the UK have also increased over 30% year-on-year in 2016, with these American travelers seeking a UK break for an average stay of more than 7 days.
Expedia’s data has been reinforced by recent figures from VisitBritain which showed inbound tourism from the US remained robust with 2% more visitors from North America coming to the UK in the first two months of the year.
Julie Cheneau, the Expedia group’s director of market management for the UK & Ireland, said: “Our latest data continues to show that we are successfully working with our hotel partners to provide access to valuable international travelers.
“The US is a particularly valuable market that presents a tremendous opportunity for hoteliers, as they are the prized guests who generally book their trip further in advance, are much less likely to cancel, stay longer and spend more when here.
“This data shows that our value proposition of providing hotels with a global reach through our investment in technology and marketing is helping to capture those visitors and drive bookings.”