Tourism is essential to the economy of England. It generates 97 billion euros a year, employing more than two million people and supports many of the companies, both directly and indirectly.
It also has an interdependent relationship with a number of sectors such as agriculture, transportation, retail, sports, museums, and the arts.
Did you know?
• Around 100 million intern overnight trips are made each year, contributing to a 2009 expenditure of £ 17.3bn.
• England welcomes more than 25 million international visitors per year.
• It is home to 21 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including Stonehenge and the Tower of London.
• Bath, Canterbury, Chester, Durham, Oxford, Stratford-Upon-Avon and York are Official Heritage Cities.
• England has over 600 miles of coastline incorporating some of the best beaches, cliffs, salt marshes and the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.
• England has a host of world-class attractions at the Alton Towers Eden Project and some of the best museums and galleries in the world - many of which are free to enter.
• England can host over 2,2 million people overnight in quality assessed accommodation.
• England can provide events for all tastes, from world famous music festivals like Glastonbury, to traditional events like Royal Ascot and Henley Regatta.
• Over the next decade a number of major sporting events will take place in England, including the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, both the Rugby League World Cup and the Cricket World Cup in 2013 and the World Cup Rugby in 2015.
• Some 873 million day trips are made each year with an estimated value of £ 39bn.
• England offers some of the best shopping experiences in the world, from iconic markets to famous designer luxury brands to city center shopping malls to specialist 'outlet' villages.
• England offers a range of outdoor experiences to inspire, with ten national parks, 33 officially designated areas of great natural beauty and more than 4.000 sites of special scientific interest protected because of their importance as part of the most spectacular and beautiful fauna and geological places.