NEW DELHI: Britain’s last year decision to exit European Union, Brexit , has had no impact in the number of Indians flocking to their ever popular island destination. In fact, VisitBritain, UK’s national tourism agency, Friday said 2017 saw “record tourism growth” from India. As many as 5.6 lakh visitors from India went to UK in 2017, up 35% from the previous year.

“Overall, 2017 was a record-breaker for overseas visits to the UK and for the amount visitors spent across the country. There were a total of 3.9 crore inbound visits to the UK in 2017, up 4%, with visitors spending £24.5 billion, up 9%. Latest official figures from VisitBritain show that 2017 was a record-breaking year for tourism from India to the UK. There were a record 562,000 visits from India to the UK in 2017, up 35% on the previous year, with Indian travellers spending a record £454 million in the UK last year an increase of 5% on 2016,”VisitBritain said in a statement.

Tricia Warwick, Director, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa for VisitBritain, said: “India is a very important market for VisitBritain and it is fantastic that more people than ever are travelling and enjoying experiences that you can only have in Britain, from the exciting and contemporary culture to innovations in food and drink, from exploring the stunning countryside to the vibrancy of its cool cities. Britain is offering great value for visitors from India and we are working hard with partners including tour operators and airlines to make it easier to book and explore more of the country, inspiring more visitors to travel right now.”

