VisitBritain: Foot and mouth affecting domestic market

Date: 28/08/2007 15:00

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The recent foot and mouth outbreak is having a greater impact on domestic than international tourism, according to a spokesperson from VisitBritain.

Speaking to BBC Radio Five Live's Wake Up To Money, spokesperson Patricia Yates commented on the impact that the recent worries over a foot and mouth outbreak were having on the tourism industry.

Ms Yates said that the biggest impact was being felt in the domestic tourism sector, whereas outside visitors were still coming into Britain.

Although this might seem like good news, Ms Yates also added that, like most countries, Britain's largest number of visitors are domestic.

'When we talk about international visitors we need to remember that in our £85 billion tourism economy that only about £16 million is spent, all the rest is our domestic visitors and we need to encourage those domestic visitors to go out on their daytrips,' she told the BBC.

However, the heavy rains throughout July and August had probably had a bigger impact on domestic tourism than the foot and mouth scare, the VisitBritain spokesperson added.

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