Although it was dubbed one of Britain’s least desirable places to reside, visitors apparently adore Crawley.

According to government statistics, the West Sussex town is among the top destinations chosen by international visitors.

It was ranked 15th according to the Office for National Statistics (
ONS
) list of destinations.

That put it above
Nottingham
(16th) Robin Hood’s homeland, and Aberdeen (17th), which has frequently won the ‘Beautiful Scotland’ award.

Crawley, originating from the Old English term ‘crow’ combined with ‘leah,’ signifying ‘a clearing frequented by crows,’ emerged victorious over Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Reading, and the renowned pilgrim site of Canterbury.

The outcomes might be attributed to Crawley being situated in
Gatwick
The airport, an extensive global hub utilized by millions of travelers.

Crawley was placed at number 20 on a list identifying the least desirable locations to reside in, as compiled by a major newspaper nationwide.

This ignited a strong defense from The Argus, a local publisher based in the Brighton area, who stated that it was “a great place to reside.”

The ONS report, which was based on the count of overnight stays, left out London.

The city reported attracting 20.3 million overnight visitors in 2023.

Edinburgh, leading the rankings, saw 2.3 million visits as per the extensive survey, which gathered responses from hundreds of thousands of participants.

Manchester (1.7m) secured the second spot and
Birmingham
(934,000) third.

Liverpool (900,000) and Glasgow (685,000) completed the top five list.

In 2023, foreign residents conducted 38 million trips to the United Kingdom, an increase from 31.2 million visits recorded in 2022.

Expenditure rose as well, jumping from £26.5 billion in 2022 to £31.1 billion.

Moreover, even though the number of visitors is still below pre-pandemic levels, tourists traveling to Britain have spent more money compared to 2019.

However, under Chancellor Rachel Reeves, proposals for a ‘lodging levy’ might result in tourists paying an extra £12 per night in the coming days.

Finance department staff are reportedly said to have conducted ‘simulation studies’ to assess the effects of implementing a tax akin to one used in France.

On the other side of the channel, nightly lodging costs can vary from under one pound per person per night at a campground to over twelve pounds in a five-star hotel.

Various councils such as those in Manchester, Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole have already implemented what is known as a visitor fee, which hotels may list separately on customer invoices.

A report from April prior estimated that the fee generated £2.8 million for Manchester in its initial year.

The Chancellor’s plan for an extensive nationwide strategy has faced strong resistance from global brands like Burberry and Watches of Switzerland, which sells Rolex, along with Heathrow and hotel magnate Sir Rocco Forte.

The London-based organization BusinessLDN similarly urged Labour to focus on ‘policies that boost growth’.

However, according to calculations by the economic advocacy group TaxPayers’ Alliance, implementing a £1.25 fee per night would generate approximately £560 million annually.

York, which was listed just above Crawley with approximately nine million visitors within a year, has embraced the concept of implementing a tourism levy for the city to aid in maintaining attractions like the Roman walls and the Shambles shopping district.

Out of the top ten countries whose citizens visited the UK most often in 2023, seven were from the European Union.

The three non-EU countries mentioned were the US, Australia, and Canada.

In 2023, as seen from the data available up until 2022, the United States led the chart for international arrivals with 5.1 million visitors.

The United States was followed by France (3.2 million), Germany (3 million), and Ireland (2.9 million).

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