The UK is on the brink of a major resurgence of its tourism industry. VisitBritain has forecast that in 2023 it estimates 35.1 million inbound visits overall to the UK, which is 86 per cent of its 2019 numbers, while also 18 per cent higher than in 2022.

Among its many source markets, the GCC remains key. The UAE, for example, is the UK’s 20th largest inbound visitor market and ninth most valuable in terms of visitor spending. In 2019, there were 553,000 visits from the UAE to the UK, with those visitors spending £869 million on their trips. In an encouraging sign for the UK tourism sector, UAE visitor spending in the UK is forecast to reach 2019 levels this year, while absolute number of visits from the UAE is expected to exceed pre-Covid levels by 2025.

Another major GCC country, Saudi Arabia, is reported to be the UK’s 34th largest inbound visitor market and 13th most valuable in terms of visitor spending. In 2019, there were 221,000 visits from Saudi Arabia to the UK, with those visitors spending £627 million on their trips. Spending in the UK by visitors from Saudi Arabia was believed to have reached 2019 levels last year itself, while the absolute number of visitors from the most populous GCC country to the UK will likely exceed pre-Covid levels by 2025.

VisitBritain has also forecast that this year, overseas visitor spending in the UK will reach £29.5 billion, up 4 per cent on the all-time spending high of £28.4 billion recorded in 2019.

If you are planning a visit to the UK this year, here’s a roundup of things to do, places to visit and events to be a part of.

The Coronation of King Charles III, London
May 6 -8
You can line the streets and be a part of the coronation of Charles III, which will take place in Westminster Abbey on Saturday, May 6, with the Archbishop of Canterbury leading the service. It will likely be among the most-watched televised programme of this year. The coronation will be shorter than previous occasions, and more representative of the UK’s different faiths and communities. Camilla will be crowned as Queen Consort too. Monday, May 8, will be a bank holiday in honour of the occasion.
royal.uk

Eurovision Song Contest 2023, Liverpool
May 13
Liverpool will host Eurovision this year, on behalf of Ukraine which won the 2022 edition. The Grand Finale of the international talent show will take place on Saturday, May 13. There are nine shows taking place in front of a live audience, starting May 8, meaning more opportunities to be a part of the action in case you are travelling to Liverpool.
eurovision.tv/event/liverpool-2023

RHS Chelsea Flower Show, London
May 23-27
RHS Chelsea Flower Show is known as the world’s greatest flower show. This year, it’s all about how gardens and gardening can help boost our health and well-being, with a focus on how gardens can have a restorative effect on us and the environment. Expect to see gardens that help socially deprived communities connect with nature and with each other, hospital gardens, and gardens inspired by brownfield sites too.
rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show

Taste of London
June 2023
Attention foodies. Discover a selection of London’s top restaurants at the Taste of London festival in Regent’s Park. Taste rounds up the hottest London restaurants, hunts down the future food heroes, and brings together chefs who are about to launch their next big thing.
london.tastefestivals.com

Royal Ascot, Berkshire
June 20-24
Royal Ascot has established itself as a national institution and a major focus of the British social calendar, as well as being the ultimate stage for some of the best racehorses in the world. Tradition, pageantry, fashion and style all come together at the around 30 races held over five days.
ascot.com

Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Southeast Scotland
August 4-28
Don’t let the name mislead you. There’s nothing peripheral about this festival. Edinburgh Festival Fringe is believed to be the world’s largest arts and media festival. Comedy and theatre take centre stage, with thousands of shows from street performers, artists, comedians, dancers, poets, and musicians, among others.
edfringe.com

Bristol International Balloon Fiesta
August 10-13
Bristol’s largest free fiesta takes to the skies over the Ashton Court Estate. Over 100 hot-air balloons gather for mass ascents, tethered displays and the highly-anticipated Night Glow spectacles at the largest event of its kind in Europe. Held over four days, the market stalls, live music, fairground rides and street food also help attract over half a million people to the fiesta each year and is certainly worth a visit.
bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk

Premier League, nationwide
August 2023 – May 2024
Sports fans have plenty of reasons to visit the UK each year. There’s little to match the excitement of watching an English Premier League match live with thousands of fans rooting for their favourite team as some of the world’s top football teams and players battle it out. Travelling to Britain during the football season also allows you to immerse yourself in the vibrant culture and history of the cities that host Premier League clubs.
premierleague.com

Christmas markets, nationwide
November – December 2023
As Christmas approaches, town and city centres across England fill with Christmas markets. Here, you’ll find gifts, mulled wine and Christmas cheer. Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market is the largest Christmas market outside Germany and Austria. Bath’s cobbled streets and ancient abbey are a great setting for the Christmas market that features over 150 stalls. London has several festive markets, from Southbank Centre’s Winter Market to Borough Market’s festive foodie market. Christmas at Blenheim Palace takes visitors to the tranquil grounds of a country estate, with the illuminated trail offering great photo opportunities. York’s Victorian streets are lined with fairy light-strung wooden chalets. Also well worth checking out are the Christmas markets in Nottingham, Stratford-upon-Avon, Winchester Cathedral, Exeter Cathedral, Manchester and Padstow, which hosts a Christmas Festival.
visitengland.com/best-christmas-markets-england

New Year’s Eve, London
December 31
End the year with a New Year’s Eve celebration in London. Take in the iconic fireworks display over the River Thames, centred around the London Eye. The buzzing energy of this capital city, as people from all walks of life come together to celebrate, is contagious. With plenty of pubs, clubs, and restaurants hosting their own special events throughout the city, you’ll find no shortage of ways to ring in the New Year just the way you want to.

(Image: Supplied by VisitBritain/Rod Edwards)