As Britain’s national tourism agency, VisitBritain is set to host top shoppers from all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries on its ‘Destination Britain Middle East and Asia’ trade mission, the latest official statistics show that GCC travelers are visiting. UK in record numbers and spending more on their travels.

The latest official statistics, for the first six months of 2024, show there were a record 512,000 visits from the GCC to the UK, up 25% from January to June last year. Visitors from the GCC also spent a record £1 billion on their trips to the UK in the first half of 2024, up 6% on 2023.

To capitalize on this growth and compete for visitors, VisitBritain is hosting 20 buyers from the GCC on its upcoming ‘Destination Britain Middle East and Asia’ trade mission, which will take place from 20-22 November in Bengaluru, India. The three-day event sees dozens of suppliers from the UK travel industry meet with over 70 leading buyers from China, the GCC, Japan, India and South Korea to drive business to the UK.

Speaking ahead of the trade event, VisitBritain’s deputy director for the Middle East and Asia Carol Maddison said:

“With increased airline connectivity through regional gateways alongside the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) scheme, traveling to the UK is now easier and more accessible for GCC nationals. Working with our trade partners, including our Destination Britain Middle East and Asia trade event, we are capitalizing on the strong growth we are seeing by showcasing the latest UK tourism products and experiences to drive bookings.

“We want visitors to explore beyond London through our regional gateways, staying longer and discovering exciting destinations in our countries and regions, spreading visitor spend across more of the UK.”

The trade mission comes as VisitBritain prepares to launch its international ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign. Launching in early 2025, the campaign will use the strong appeal of film and TV locations and places seen on screen to inspire visitors to the GCC to discover more of the UK. VisitBritain’s latest research shows that among those visitors considering a trip to the UK, nine out of ten surveyed across 20 markets are interested in visiting a film or TV location during their trip.

The latest forecasts from VisitBritain predict 1.3 million visits from the GCC to the UK in 2024, with those visitors spending £3.1 billion on their trips.