It’s good news for British tourism according to VisitBritain’s annual review, launched today, with record visitor spend for the first seven months of 2013.

A year on from the great tourism showcase of the London 2012 Olympics, VisitBritain says it has made significant progress on its four year long marketing programme and long-term tourism growth strategy.

In 2012, Britain welcomed over 31 million inbound visitors, who contributed £18.6bn to the economy. So far this year has built on that success, with spending up by 13 per cent to £11.2bn

For every £1 spent by VisitBritain overseas, £19 is spent by overseas visitors in Britain.

The organisation is also on track to hit the target of £50m of private sector match funding by the end of the 2014/5 financial year.

Over the next four years, VisitBritain will focus its efforts in four areas: image, product, travel trade and access.

2014 presents many marketing opportunities, including the Commonwealth Games being held in Scotland and the centenary of the birth of Welsh writer Dylan Thomas.

Chair of VisitBritain, Christopher Rodrigues, says VisitBritain delivered on the challenge of converting enthusiasm of London 2012 into sustained increases in awareness and intention to visit.

“Our overall strategic aim for 2014 is to build on our international image, engage further with the travel trade, broaden the product range on offer for tourists and make it easier to get to Britain,” he says.