Image: UK tourism was worth £101bn last year

The UK tourism sector contributes more to the economy than car manufacturing or mining, according to new research from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

Oxford Economics compiled the American Express-sponsored report, which found that the travel and tourism sector's worth to gross domestic product (GDP) last year was £101bn.

The figure represents 6.7 per cent of the UK's total GDP - compared with 2.3 per cent for car manufacturing; 1.9 per cent for mining; and 4.1 per cent for chemicals.

Meanwhile, travel and tourism directly supports nearly as many jobs as the financial service industry and will grow at a faster rate than the total economy over the next decade.

WTTC president and CEO David Scowsill said: "We have always known that travel and tourism is a vast contributor to economic growth and job creation. These figures bear out just how significant our industry is for the UK."

However, Scowsill added that air passenger duty and high VAT rates are making the sector uncompetitive and called on the government to "sit up and take notice" of its potential.

Details: www.wttc.org

Image: Stuart Monk/shutterstock.com