Foot-and-mouth hits April visitor numbers

The number of overseas visitors to Britain dropped by 7% during April - down by 147,000 to two million - according to figures released last week by the British Tourist Authority (BTA).

This added up to a £174m drop in revenue, said the BTA, down by 16% compared with the £885m spent by overseas visitors in April 2000.

The largest fall was among visitors from North America.

The figures are based on monthly statistics from the International Passenger Survey and are a record of international visitors as they leave Britain.

In an effort to assess the impact of foot-and-mouth disease, the Government has also been surveying passengers as they arrive in the UK for holiday visits. These additional figures showed a 22% fall during April in the number of holidaymakers coming to Britain, double the 11% drop recorded in March.

BTA chairman David Quarmby said: "These latest figures, while not unexpected, do substantiate the BTA's deep concerns that the foot-and-mouth outbreak has had a significant detrimental effect on the number of overseas visitors.

"It is quite possible that… a more extensive programme of activities to address the damage may be necessary."