The new LNER website coincides with the lifting of pre-departure testing and quarantine rules for vaccinated people arriving into England and Scotland earlier this month.

The move will broaden LNERs global market to customers in 10 countries with China, Japan, Spain, South Korea and Italy being the first able to book online directly. The new search and booking engine used by LNER provides international customers from these countries the choice of buying tickets in their language and currency.

The LNER.co.uk website will now detect customers searching from overseas and redirect them automatically, improving their online booking experience.

The new website also corresponds with LNER’s full timetable reintroduction (excluding pre-planned works) and means customers can access destinations throughout the 956 miles of East Coast route.

LNER has worked alongside travel tech firm and rail retailer Omio in order to develop the website which features the ability to operate 20 languages and 26 currencies including Euros, Korean Won and Japanese Yen or by using a payment option recognised in their country.

David Horne, Managing Director at LNER, said:

“Our mission is to transform rail travel, inspiring more people to explore the beauty of England and Scotland with our world-class Azuma trains. The launch of our international website means we are offering our customers the best possible experience throughout their journey from the moment they look to make a reservation, to their journey onboard to the time they arrive at their destination.

“We are continuing to see strong demand for customers travelling with LNER for leisure, which is contributing to a strong recovery from the pandemic. Our new international website will now make it easier for even more visitors from overseas to travel with LNER and explore our fantastic destinations.”

Data by the Office for National Statistics has revealed that 40.9 million visits to the UK throughout 2019 were made by overseas customers who spent £28.4 billion with around a quarter of those travelling using railways during their visit.

LNER’s East Coast route features many top tourist destinations, such as London, Edinburgh, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Inverness. The LNER route also sees some of the most glorious scenery in the country, from the Scottish Highlands to the Northumberland coastline as well as many town and cityscapes along the way.

The Office of Rail and Road revealed figures that show LNER customer numbers from July to September 2021 had climbed back to 89.6% of pre-pandemic levels, which is almost 20% higher than other rail operators.

Sally Balcombe, Chief Executive at VisitBritain said:

“This new initiative will help to boost future bookings by making it much easier for international visitors to plan their trips. Removing barriers to travel also promotes a message of welcome and will encourage visitors to explore more, travel further and stay longer, helping to drive tourism across more of the country, boosting local economies.”

Visit Scotland has also welcomed the move and data from 2019 (pre-pandemic) shows that 3.4 million overnight international trips to Scotland were taken, one-third of these were from Europe with £2.5 billion spent.

Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said:

“We welcome the launch of LNER’s new international website to make it easier for visitors to book and travel by rail. Train travel is a central part of creating a sustainable tourism destination in Scotland and we support any moves which will encourage its use, while helping to boost Scottish tourism as it recovers from the impact of COVID-19.”

LNER is also welcoming customers back to rail travel in other ways such as their ‘Seat Sure’ initiative which assures customers that they will have the comfort of a seat throughout their journey. Onboard trains, LNER also offer the best in hospitality and customer service offering a variety of food and drink sourced locally along the route and served to seat in First Class and Standard.

Anybody looking for inspiration on making more eco-friendly choices can use LNER’s ‘Green Guide’ which highlights the best places to stay, eat and drink for visits to London, Newcastle and Edinburgh. https://www.lner.co.uk/our-destinations/travel-inspiration/green-guides/

The new LNER Azuma fleet delivers impressive environmental benefits as they use overhead electric wires for the majority of the East Coast route, providing the greenest form of powered public transport.