Post-referendum boom time for overseas tourism to Britain

The number of overseas visitors heading to Britain (Pictured) increased in the three months immediately following the Brexit referendum, figures revealed Thursday. (Photo: b.donaghey/ flickr)

LONDON –The number of overseas visitors heading to Britain increased in the three months immediately following the Brexit referendum, figures revealed Thursday.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a report that visitor numbers in the quarter of 2016 starting July 1 was 1.5 percent higher than the corresponding three months in 2015.

The ONS study also showed that overseas visitors spent 7.4 billion pounds (9.12 billion U.S. dollars) during the post-referendum quarter, up 3 percent on the same period a year earlier.

The report also showed that visits abroad by British residents during the third quarter of 2016 (July-September) increased by 7.

4 percent to 24.1 million compared with the same quarter in 2015.