The UK is one of the world's economic powerhouses, with its 2008 GDP ranking fifth in the world. The share of manufacturing in the national economy of the UK has declined; the share of services and energy is increasing, with business, finance and insurance growing faster. Tourism is one of the most important economic sectors in Britain. With an annual output value of more than 70 billion pounds sterling, tourism revenue accounts for about 5% of the world's tourism revenue. Unlike countries that focus on scenic tourism, Britain's royal culture and museum culture are the biggest attractions of the tourism industry. The main tourist spots are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Brighton, Greenwich, Stratford, Oxford, Cambridge and so on. Britain is the world's fourth largest trading nation, with trade accounting for more than 5% of total world trade and exports of goods and services accounting for about 25% of GDP.
London is the world's financial and trade center. Tourism is one of the most important economic sectors in Britain. In 2001, the output value of the tourism industry amounted to 72.8 billion pounds sterling; in terms of tourism revenue, in 2001, the United Kingdom is the world's seventh largest tourist country, income accounted for 3.4% of the world's tourism revenue. in March 2002, the number of employees 2,056,000, of which the freelance workers about 148,000 people. in 2001, the value of domestic tourism in the United Kingdom is about 59.5 billion pounds sterling.
The service sector includes finance and insurance, retailing, tourism and business services (providing legal and consulting services, etc.). It has developed rapidly in recent years, and by the end of 2001, the number of employees reached 22.8 million, accounting for 77.5% of the total employed population. 2001 gross output value increased by 1% compared with 2000, and its added value accounted for 71.4% of the added value of the gross domestic product (GDP). London is a world-famous financial center, engaged in cross-border bank lending, foreign exchange transactions, international bond issuance, fund investment and other businesses, but also the world's largest insurance market, the largest gold spot trading market and the ship loan market as well as an important non-precious metals trading center. The financial industry is the main force of the British balance of trade, the output value accounted for more than 5% of the gross domestic product, more than 1 million employees, reaching a record 13.2 billion pounds. The Labour government first reformed financial regulation after coming to power and established the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in June 1998 to replace the regulatory functions of the Bank of England. The British Government encourages foreign investment in Britain and regards it as an effective way to introduce new technology, new products, new management methods and to improve employment and increase exports. In recent years, the United Kingdom has become the first choice for foreign investment in Europe; in 2001, the United Kingdom attracted a total of 53.8 billion U.S. dollars in foreign investment, ranking third in the world. The United States is the largest investor in the UK, with investment accounting for 48.4%, followed by Germany, Canada and Japan, accounting for 8.2%, 6.4% and 5.9% respectively. Investment areas include automobiles, communications, information, electronics, medical equipment, financial services, food and beverages. Investment in the form of acquisitions, mergers and acquisitions of existing enterprises, the expansion of existing production plants, the establishment of research bases or regional headquarters of multinational corporations, etc. In 2000, foreign direct investment in the United Kingdom 86.2 billion pounds sterling, ￡ 174.6 billion of portfolio investment, and other investment of 281.8 billion pounds sterling.