Dubai: The number of tourists from the UAE visiting the United Kingdom jumped 32 per cent in the first nine months of last year, compared to the same period in 2014, while spending was marginally up by 3 per cent, according to a UK tourism official.

The number of UAE tourists reached 260,000 and their purchases touched £437 million (Dh2.28 billion) from January to September 2015, Sumathi Ramanathan, regional general manager at tourism body, Visit Britain, told reporters in Dubai yesterday.

Ramanathan was in Dubai for the soft launch of a new tourism campaign aimed at showcasing what else Britain has to offer, besides London, where around 70 per cent of Gulf visitors spend their holiday.

The ‘Great Britain Great Moments’ campaign will be officially launched on February 9.

Ramanathan said that visitors from the UAE are looking for value as the “the economic condition becomes more challenging,” adding that “the real challenge for Britain is how can we showcase value to the Emirati customers in a difficult economic climate.”

The UAE’s economic growth is expected to slow to 2.9 per cent in 2016 from an estimated 3.8 per cent in 2015, due to a deceleration in the oil sector and moderation in government spending, according to Standard Chartered’s Economic Outlook 2016.

Overall GCC numbers

Meanwhile, overall Gulf tourist numbers rose 18 per cent to 567,000 during the January-September period, while spending increased 6 per cent to £1.2 billion. Ramanathan anticipates a 4 per cent increase in the number of tourists from the Gulf in 2016. In a bid to boost visitor numbers from the Gulf, the UK government introduced two years ago an electronic visa waiver for the UAE, Qatari and Omani nationals who plan to visit the UK for up to six months.

According to data from Visit Britain, the number of overseas visitors to the UK is expected to rise this year to 36.7 million, up 3.8 per cent over 2015, while spending is forecast to grow 4.2 per cent to reach almost £23 billion.

Britain aims to attract 40 million international visitors per year, spending £31.5 billion by 2020, according to the tourism body’s website.

Asked how tourism to the UK has been affected by the attacks in Paris last November, Ramanathan said: “I think it is too early for us to tell. We have not seen — this is based on anecdotal evidence from travel and trade — a drop for London, but we will need to wait another six months before the figures come in.”