The development of tourism in Great Britain: peculiarities and prospects

Abstract

This paper analyzes tourism development in Great Britain. It is noted that the competitive advantage of the country in the market of tourist services is its physical, geographical as well as economic and geographical position. The country has a strong natural, recreational, historical and cultural potential, a modern hospitality industry and a vast transport network. Cultural, business, educational, event, sport, nostalgic and rural tourism are the main types of tourism in Great Britain. A tourism brand is designed in the country. The National Visit Britain Tourism Development Agency deals with its promotion internationally. It is estimated that according to global tourist arrivals figures Great Britain ranks 6th among the countries of the European tourist region. The dynamics of tourist arrivals to the country for the period of 2006-2018 is analyzed. It is determined that there has been a gradual increase in the quantity of foreign tourism since 2012, except for the year of 2018. In general, outbound tourism outweighs the inbound one in the country. It is established that the main consumers of the British tourist product are tourists from the US and Western Europe. Most often the country is visited by working people aged 25-34. Weekend tours are predominant in terms of the purpose of travelling to Great Britain. London is the most popular tourist centre of the country. Half the number of tourists coming to Great Britain visits it. Lothian, Greater Manchester, West Midland and Kent are also popular tourist centres. It is stated that new political conditions are being created in the country caused by the initiation of its withdrawal from the EU. This will bring about both new challenges and new opportunities for the tourism sphere. A SWOT analysis of the UK tourism industry was carried out. The problems and prospects of tourism development in the territory of the country have been identified taking into account its current social and economic and geopolitical situation. The priority tasks are to promote Great Britain as a tourism destination, to increase tourism productivity and revenue, to create new jobs and to increase the income level of people employed in the tourism sector.