UK residents' trips abroad increase

UK residents' trips abroad are on the increase, according to the latest results from the International Passenger Survey.

Visits abroad increased to 17.2 million in the three months to February 2007, showing an increase of three per cent compared with the previous three months and an increase of four per cent compared with the equivalent period in 2006.

However Brits' spending abroad decreased slightly by one per cent to £8.1 billion.

Visits to continental Europe increased by two per cent to 54.2 million and visits to North America rose by four per cent to 4.5 million.

Visits to other parts of the world decreased by nine per cent to 9.7 million.

Meanwhile overseas visits to the UK were also on the up, increasing by three per cent in the three months to February 2007 to 8.4 million.

The number of visits to the UK from Europe and North America both increased by eight per cent in the same period to 23.4 million and 4.5 million visitors respectively.

Visits from other parts of the world rose to 4.3 million, a four per cent increase.