EDINBURGH, Scotland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With the latest threat of transport strikes, concerns with overcrowding and inflated hotel prices in the capital during the Olympic period, it appears that foreign tourists may instead be heading to other regions of the UK.
When it was first announced that London had won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics, many people across the country felt it would have little positive impact on those outside of the capital. However, recent research conducted by Skyscanner, Europe’s leading travel search site reveals that inbound tourism is set to benefit, with a massive influx of foreign visitors to regional destinations.
The North West of England and Scotland will profit most from foreign visitors during the games, with Australians and Canadian’s heading to these areas in their droves. Flight searches to regional airports from these nations are up 33% and 13% respectively with Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow all proving particularly popular.
Northern Ireland will also welcome more visitors during the games, with Canadian’s showing huge interest in visiting the country. Belfast Airport is showing an increase in searches from airports across Canada of 22% year on year.
Research by Skyscanner also shows that popular tourist attractions in the Midlands and the South West will welcome many more foreign visitors this year with visitors from Spain and Switzerland heading to the region during the Olympics. Flight searches to airports across these regions from these countries are up 25% and 24% respectively.
Interestingly, the residents of Leeds will be welcoming Cypriots to the city, as searches to Leeds Bradford Airport from the sun kissed island are up a staggering 32%.
Gareth Williams, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Skyscanner comments; “It’s great to see that so many international tourists are planning to take advantage of the low cost fares on offer to visit other parts of Britain during the Games.”
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