British inbound tourism continued its jumbo-jet trajectory in the first half of 2014, setting a new record for overseas visitor numbers, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics.

There were 16.4 million inbound visits to Britain from January to June 2014 – an increase of eight per cent compared to the first half of 2013. The results continue the momentum from 2013, which was a record year for inbound tourism with 32.9 million visitors coming to Britain’s shores over the 12-month period.

June 2014 alone also saw a record 3.18 million visits from overseas – a 10 per cent increase on June 2013. Spending by visitors to Britain also increased in June, up four per cent in nominal terms to £1.97bn.

Holiday visits were strong across the first half of 2014 – 12 per cent above 2013 results – and accounted for 44 per cent of visits in June.

“The UK’s fine heritage, world-leading attractions and vibrant retail offering continue to attract increasing numbers of overseas visitors,” said Barclays head of hospitality and leisure Mike Saul.

“Wealthy consumers from emerging economies such as Asia and the Middle East, together with visitors from the three highest spending countries, the USA, France and Germany, are driving growth in visits and spend from overseas.”

Visits from the rest of the world regions (Asia Pacific, Middle East, Latin America and Africa) were flat during June compared to last year, but after a good start to 2014 are currently two per cent higher over the first six months of this year against 2013’s figures.

Visitors from the rest of the world regions – particularly the Middle East – will often spend far higher amounts of money than visitors from traditional markets. A recent report found that visitors from the Middle East are Britain’s most zealous international shoppers, with clothes or shoes at the top of their shopping list.

Of the Middle Eastern visitors, Kuwaitis were shown to be the biggest spenders, with the average visit from that country delivering £4,000 to the UK economy. By comparison, the average French visitor will spend an average of £343.

“Tourism is an essential part of the wider success of our economy and these first six months have set us up for what could be another record year for inbound tourism,” said head of research and forecasting at VisitBritain David Edwards.

“It’s also hugely positive to see growth both from our high volume European markets and also emerging markets across Asia and Latin America.”