THE Falkland Islands Tourist Board has just completed its latest Falklands Forecast and all indications are showing a positive increase across the board for the 2011-2012 tourism season.

Tourist arrivals to the Falkland Islands are expected to increase in 2011/2012, with an increase of 6.2% in the number of leisure visitors. Almost 8,000 overnight tourists are expected to visit the Islands, spending over £4.6 million.

Cruise passenger arrivals are expected to total 47,000 during the 2011/2012 season, an increase of almost 17% compared to the 2010/2011 season.

Overall, visitor arrivals in 2011/2012 by inbound overnight tourists, cruise passengers and domestic tourists are expected to total over 69,000, spending £7.5 million.

Paul Trowell, General Manager for the Falkland Islands Tourist Board says: "Visitor numbers are already showing a 13.6% increase in tourist arrivals in the second quarter (April to June) of 2011 compared to the same period last year.

"Tourist arrivals from the UK have increased by 5.5% in the same quarter compared to last year, USA has increased by 78.6%, although from a small base, and arrivals from other countries grew by a significant 39.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

"Of course there are a lot of external factors that may affect these forecasts for the 2011/2012 tourism season, the biggest being how the weather is for the cruise ship landings and the continued uncertainty in the world economy," concluded Paul.

Forecasts for inbound and domestic tourism demand are calculated using an iterative process by drawing on a series of data sources. Most significantly there are: United Nations World Tourism Organisation, International Monetary Fund, UK Office for National Statistics, Visit Britain, Falkland Islands Tourist Board, Falkland Customs and Immigration, and industry sources in the Falkland Islands.