Speculation is strong that the UK Pound Sterling could pass the $2.00 exchange rate within the next week, further bolstering UK air travel to the US, but placing further pressure on the UK tourism industry.

The pound has continued to rise strongly, standing at an exchange rate of $1.9838 [as of 06.30 UK time today-Ed] and observers say this is a 14-year high which is close to the last time it was worth $2 back to 1992. At the same time, the euro is also close to an all-time record touching E.1.3518 to the US dollar this morning.
New York is just one of the destinations where British visitors are literally shopping until they drop and this is expected to continue as long as the pound remains as strong as it is today. New York Terminal 4 JFK IAT Vice President Marketing and Business Development Janice Holden told TREND earlier this year that this market is strong: ‘It?s quite amazing to consider that an item that is 100 sterling, is priced at $100 in the US which basically means everything here costs about half because of the dollar to pound situation. So you can understand why they find everything to be an incredible bargain here.’
But while this is good news for tourists buying currency and goods in pounds and demand for flights to the US is strong, it is not so good for visitors coming to the UK and particularly with the lucrative summer season approaching where many US citizens traditionally visit London.
UK exporters to the US are also finding it tough as the exchange rate effectively increases the amount that US customers have to pay for the same goods that cost a good deal less a year ago.