• 👉 Official data show 7.7 million trips made in first quarter

  •  👉 UK visits abroad held back by airport disruption, living costs


British tourism received a major boost in the first quarter as the number of foreign visitors surged to near pre-pandemic levels, according to official data.

Overseas residents made 7.7 million trips to the UK between January and March, only 8% fewer than in the same period in 2019, the Office for National Statistics said Thursday. The amount of money they spent rose 17% to £5.6 billion ($7.3 billion).