Industry bosses have revealed 2017 saw record tourist levels, despite recent terror attacks.
Bernard Donoghue, director of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, said key London sites saw tourism fall by 17 percent between May and the second week of September compared with 2016.
Families with young children were instead making trips to places like Bath, Bristol and Oxford.
“These are parents under 35 with kids aged around seven. They have reacted significantly to the attacks,” he said.
“Because they weren’t brought up in the shadow of the UK and the IRA this is their first experience of domestic terror, while some of us who are older may take it in our stride and keep calm and carry on.”
Tourism in the UK is set to continue, with VisitBritain suggesting Overseas visits to the UK are set to pass 40 million in 2018.
The slump in the pound against the euro and the dollar is driving tourism in the UK. Many of these tourists will be taking advantage of strong sales for British luxury brands such as Burberry.
Tourists are expecting to spend a record of £27 billion over the next 12 months.
“Tourism is one of the UK’s most valuable export industries. It is also a fiercely competitive global industry and these results not only demonstrate Britain’s continued ability to compete internationally for visitors, they are a testament to tourism’s importance as a driver of economic growth,” said Patricia Yates, VisitBritain’s director.
“We are working with partners across the world to tell customers of experiences they can only have in Britain and encourage them to book a trip now. We have seen good growth this year from the US and China, and are developing new products that make it easier for overseas visitors to book and explore all of Britain.”