Panic in Cotswolds as Japanese tourists deal £12m blow to holiday hotspot

Japanese tourists are spending £12m little connected mean (Image: Getty)

The South West of England has been dealt a large stroke arsenic Japanese tourists are spending £12million little connected mean compared to what they were conscionable a fewer years prior.

Japanese tourists are considered cardinal to the UK marketplace due to the fact that they are high-spending holidaymakers, often choosing to sojourn humanities sites, dine successful high-end restaurants and store successful luxury stores.

Before the pandemic hit, Japanese tourists were contributing £14m annually to the South West economy. Prior to covid, an mean of 25,000 Japanese tourists visited this portion of England each year.

However, this fig dramatically dropped by 80% successful 2023. Those that did visit, spent conscionable £2m successful section businesses, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Japanese circuit operators were shown the charismatic marketplace municipality of Cirencester (Image: Getty)

In a bid to entice Japanese tourists backmost to a portion they utilized to flock to, section tourism representatives person precocious spent a week showing disconnected the Cotswolds to Japanese circuit operators.

Japanese circuit operators were shown Chavenage House, a Grade I listed Elizabethan manor dating backmost to 1383 successful Tetbury, Gloucestershire and had a acquisition successful British etiquette from Emma Dupont, from Exquisite Cotswolds.

The radical besides went connected a walking circuit of Cirencester, an charismatic historical marketplace municipality successful the Cotswolds, which is location to a scope of boutique shops arsenic good arsenic truly bully cafes, pubs and restaurants.

"We are moving truthful hard to get those Japan visitant numbers backmost up, particularly with visits to the Cotswolds, which they cognize and emotion truthful much," said Robin Tjolle, from Visit England, who accompanied the visit, which was coordinated by VisitBritain with Cotswolds Tourism.

Prior to covid an mean of 25,000 Japanese tourists visited the South West of England (Image: Getty)

Tamami Hagihara, who works for Japanese question relation ATI, said she volition archer her clients astir the "very beauteous scenery and landscapes" the South West has to offer.

She said: "I volition archer them astir the precise beauteous scenery and landscapes, the section nutrient and that the radical are precise kind," she said. "Japanese radical emotion to larn astir the past of places they visit."

In 2023, 225,000 Japanese tourists visited the UK; astir 1 successful 3 Japanese visitors came to the UK betwixt July and September.