INTERNATIONAL visitor numbers and spending to the UK fell in the key third quarter of the year.
In the three months to September - usually the peak of inbound tourism - total visits dropped three per cent against July-September 2007 to 9.3m and spending decreased two per cent to £5.1b.
Tom Wright, chief executive of national tourism agency VisitBritain, says: "Although these figures are disappointing, they are not unexpected given the economic climate right now."