Travel to the UK from its major markets is on the rise - excluding France, which is slowly recovering from a drop that started after the terror attacks on the Bataclan concert hall in Paris in November 2015.

China and the US have shown the biggest growth, with both of them up 20 per cent.

 

UKinbound chief executive Deidre Wells said the fall in French visitors was due to the cancellation of French school groups following the terror attacks in Paris, rather than concerns regarding security in the UK. The improved exchange rate for euro countries meant the UK was a cheaper destination for Europeans.

 

Brexit remains the greatest challenge to UK tourism, she said, because 30 per cent of workers in the industry are EU migrants.

 

"We are dependent on EU migration. We need visa-free travel and access to the single aviation market, because 70 per cent of visitors arrive by air."