One of very few bright spots reported in the British Tourist Authority's Annual Report for 2018/2019 is international impressions of the strength of culture in the UK. Although the UK fell to 4th place in the overall national brand rankings, overtaken by both Canada and France, perceptions grew that the country is "interesting and exciting for contemporary culture". On this attribute it has risen one place to third in the league table. It was ranked 7th for cultural heritage.
Despite this, the UK's share of international tourism fell last year in both volume and value terms. The BTA report notes that while inbound tourism spending in the UK dropped by 7%, spending elsewhere in Europe rose by 5%, Asia-Pacific by 8%, and the Middle East by 4%, though spending in the Americas saw no change on the previous year.
The two least positive attributes of the UK in the eyes of the rest of the world are 'natural beauty' (ranked 26th) and 'welcome'. The country ranked 16th when assessed against the statement "If visited, people would make me feel very welcome" - falling one place for the third consecutive year.