The table illustrates the expenditure of North American visitors in the UK, categorized by the purpose of their trip, over a five-year period from 2002 to 2006. It also includes the growth rate for the final year.
Overall, total spending by North American visitors saw a significant rise over the period, with business and miscellaneous purposes experiencing the most substantial growth in the final year.
In 2002, total spending stood at £2,280 million. This figure fluctuated but generally increased, reaching £3,300 million by 2006, which represents a total growth of 20.1% from 2005. Throughout the period, holiday was consistently the highest spending category, rising from £1,053 million to £1,130 million. Business expenditure, the second highest category, also showed a clear upward trend, climbing from £859 million to £1,108 million, with a notable annual growth of 23.6% in 2006.
Spending on visiting friends or relatives and miscellaneous reasons was lower but still grew. The miscellaneous category, despite starting at just £318 million, saw the most dramatic increase, surging by 45.9% to £557 million in 2006. Similarly, visits to friends and relatives grew by 12.1% to £585 million in the same year.