Britain Sees Signs of Comeback for Tourism

Concern that tourism to Britain this year would collapse because of fears of terrorism has been dwindling, and American tourism there could match last year’s record levels, Assistant Employment Minister David Trippier said Tuesday.

He told the House of Commons that the state-run British Tourist Authority believes that at current tourist levels, there would be a 15% drop in the number of Americans visiting Britain compared with last year.

“But there are signs of an early upturn in business, and the authority is hopeful that over the year as a whole last year’s record level of tourists may be maintained,” Trippier said.

A record 3.3 million American tourists visited Britain in 1985.

American visitors spent about $5.25 billion in Britain last year, and there was much hand-wringing in the travel trade when bookings slumped after the April 15 U.S. attack on Libya, which was launched in part from British bases.