Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement at St James's Palace


The announcement of the Royal engagement between Prince William and Kate Middleton will provide a huge boost for UK tourism, travel chiefs have said.

And the wedding, planned for summer 201, will have the biggest appeal for travellers from the prospering BRIC countries - Brazil, Russia, India and China.

In a survey conducted on behalf of UK tourism arm, Visit Britain, 25,000 people were polled worldwide about the appeal of UK tourist sites attached to the British Monarchy.

Russian travellers were the most enthusiastic about visiting the likes of Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Balmoral, with 83 per cent of those questioned saying they would be keen to visit Royal properties.

Brazilians followed closely behind with 79 per cent of people responding positively, while the Czech Republic (75 per cent) also seems to be smitten with the idea of discovering more about our Royals. 71 per cent of Chinese and Indian travellers expressed an interest. Research published by VisitBritain in September shows that 100,000 extra travellers from China are expected to holiday in Britain by 2014.


Russians were the keenest of those questioned by VisitBritain, with 83 per cent of travellers saying they'd like to visit Monarchy sites


Americans, often seen as having an enduring fascination with the Royals were less likely to have palaces and estates at the top of their must-see lists - because they've already visited them.

The wedding will add further appeal for overseas tourists in a calendar that is already jam-packed with high profile events including the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics in 2012.

The UK tourism industry has a tremendous opportunity to attract extra overseas tourists, VisitEngland chief executive James Berresford said.

'I'm absolutely thrilled for William and Kate, and thrilled for tourism as well,' he said.

'The wedding next year will mean that once again the eyes of the world will be turned to our nation. We will have a wonderful opportunity to showcase all that is best about the country - its heritage and its history and what being English is all about.'

Mr Berresford called the news 'a real shot in the arm for tourism'.
Last week the Office of National Statistics announced that the number of visits made to the UK by overseas residents in the first nine months of this year totalled 22.48 million - a 2 per cent dip on the January to September 2009 total.


source: dailymail