It is often said that ‘a picture paints a thousand words’ and above we have tried to summarise current trends in the factors driving tourism. Based on an analysis of over forty different series, grouped into eight ‘segments’, the chart clearly comes with a hefty health warning, with the ‘scoring’ of each factor being as much art as it is science.

• Met Office figures show that during November temperatures were exceptionally above average (making it the second warmest November in 100 years), sunshine totals close to average and rainfall amounts below average

• Gales cause flight disruption at a number of airports in Scotland on 8 December
  

• The government gives the go ahead for a second terminal to be built at the Port of Dover, ‘when market conditions require’

• Due to the disruption to Sea France sailings P&O Ferries adds an additional vessel to its Calais to Dover route

• BAA’s six UK airports handled 0.9% fewer passengers in November than a year before, with domestic routes seeing a 3.0% fall in comparison with no change in the volume of passengers on European scheduled routes, an increase of 3.5% on North Atlantic routes and drop of 3.8% on other long-haul routes

• Sunwing Airlines announces that it will operate two flights per week from Toronto to Glasgow during summer 2012

• During November British Airways Revenue Passenger Kilometres increased at an annual rate of 5.1%

• From end May 2012 Jet2.com will introduce new routes to Newcastle from Rome, Reus (both twice per week) and Venice (3 per week)

• From 25 March Qatar Airways will add an additional daily flight from Doha to London Heathrow

• From end March 2012 Jet2.com will operate two flights per week from Budapest to Leeds Bradford

• From February 2012 Germanwings will fly 21 times per week from Stuttgart to Heathrow, and from July 5 times per week from Stuttgart to Manchester

• KLM are to axe their Amsterdam to Liverpool flights from March 2012

• From March 2012 Singapore Airlines will reduce the number of flights per week from Singapore to Manchester (that operate via Munich) from seven to six

• Travel to Britain from Belgium disrupted on 22 December due to a general strike

• UK GDP grew slightly more quickly than first thought during the third quarter of 2011

• The rate of unemployment in the UK increased to 8.3% in the three months to October 2011

• Eurozone unemployment increased to 10.3% in October

• The Swiss government cuts its 2012 economic growth forecast to 0.5% due to exposure to the Eurozone crisis

• US unemployment fell to 8.6% in November from 9.0% in October
  

• US consumer confidence increased for the second consecutive month in December to an eight-month high

• Brazil’s economy failed to grow between the second and third quarter of the year and the government now forecast annual growth of just 3.5% for 2011 

• According to the Centre for Economic and Business Research Brazil overtook Britain to become the world’s sixth largest economy in 2011

• Growth in the building and mining sectors helped deliver economic growth of 2.5% for Australia in the three months to September, representing a better result than had been expected.  However, a weak outlook has resulted in Australian base rates being reduced by a quarter of a percentage point

• In October Indian factory output fell for the first time in two years

• Japan’s industrial production fell in November due to the strength of the yen, weak global demand and flooding in Thailand

• Figures from TRI Hospitality Consulting show that in November London chain hotel occupancy declined from 84.5% a year ago to 82.6%, though with average room rates up from £136.33 to £139.20.  Outside London occupancy was flat at 70.0% while average room rates fell from £70.39 to £69.47

• Latest UNWTO figures indicate that global international tourism increased at an annual rate of 4.5% during the first eight months of 2011, with Europe showing the fastest growth (+6%)