The United Kingdom has always been a cornerstone for avid travellers and tourism activity, all thanks to a variety of destinations, historical landmarks and a major influence worldwide. Being a group of islands for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, tourism plays an important role in driving the economic force of the country and adding countless jobs to the sector.
Although it still has to catch up to the ideal figures post-pandemic, surprising stats share insights into the fast-growing tourism industry in the United Kingdom.
Let’s discuss UK tourism statistics with details on inbound tourism, the country's rank, the most visited parts, and everything that you need to know.
Visits
How Many International Tourists Visited The UK in 2024?
As per details shared by VisitBritain, 2024 was a surprisingly good year for inbound tourism in the UK, with 38.7 million visitors. Although these numbers are not ideal for pre-pandemic figures, they still mark prominent quick growth compared to previous years. For instance, compared with 2023, it is a 2% increase, making it the sharpest growth for tourism in the United Kingdom.
How Many International Tourists Visit the UK Annually?
After a decline to 7.1 million visitors in 2021, the UK's international tourism traffic is set to rebound with over 30 million visitors per year. And this figure is continuing to increase further, with 2024 recording 38.7 million tourists in the UK.
Here is how the numbers of annual visitors look like:
- 2024 - 38.7 million
- 2023 - 38 million
- 2022 - 31.2 million
- 2021 - 7.1 million
- 2020 - 11.1 million
- 2019 - 40.9 million
How Many Of The International Visits Were Repeated In The UK?
According to the latest figures, 77% of the inbound visitors to the UK were repeat visits, with 92% being business visits, while the rest were just visiting a family or participating in a holiday activity.
What Is The Origin Of Visitors To Historic Sites?
The year 2023 was famous for registering a higher count of international visitors, with 25% of the total visitors accounting for historic site tourism. This is a 76% growth compared to the previous year and is distributed across all types of historic sites like Castles, Gardens and Palaces.
Inbound Tourism Statistics UK
How Much Was The Total American Spendings For Inbound Tourism In The UK?
In 2023, Americans spent a total of £6.26 billion. Even better, these figures have exceeded the numbers of 2019 by up to 50%.
What Are The Stats For Inbound Visitors In The UK For Medical Tourism?
According to the latest data for 2021, a total of 34 thousand visitors were recorded for their visit to the UK for medical tourism. As for patient treatment, over 10,640 patients were admitted to UK hospitals in 2023. The UK has seen a growth of over 800% since 2016, and trends are showing a positive sign in the future as a post-pandemic medical tourism activity.
How Does Business Tourism Compare To The Overall Inbound Visitors?
Over the last few years, business tourism has experienced a higher influx of visitors, with 22% of the overall visitors being business travellers in 2023.
Outbound Tourism Statistics UK
What Are The Stats For Outbound Business Trips?
In 2022, the UK was ranked sixth globally with a total spending of $30.4 billion. Comparing it with 2021 figures of just $15.3 billion, outbound business travel is recovering prominently, both with combining business and leisure travel. Despite the steep downfall of the UK’s outbound business trips during the COVID-19 pandemic, the country is recovering with promising figures for spending and travellers.
What Countries Do UK Residents Visit The Most For Outbound Tourism?
Out of a total of 86.2 million trips, there are 17.8 million trips recorded for UK residents to visit Spain, making it the top-ranked country among Brits. Not just Spain, but numerous other European countries like France, Italy, and Greece are the top destinations that UK residents love most for vacation and recreational travel. Apart from Europe, the USA is the top destination for Brits, with 3.9 million visits in 2023.
Top Nationalities
Where Do Most Visitors In The UK Come From?
The latest data reveals that the United States has been the top country for inbound tourism activity in the UK. With 5.12 million visitors in 2023, the USA is fixated on the top position. At the same time, France, Germany, the Republic of Ireland, and Spain are also great contributors to inbound visitors in the UK from 2019 to 2023.
Here is a proper list of the top countries the UK gets its visitors from:
- USA - 5.12 Million
- France - 3.1 Million
- Germany - 2.97 Million
- Ireland - 2.88 Million
- Spain - 2.2 Million
- Netherlands - 1.9 Million
- Italy - 1.6 Million
- Poland - 1.62 Million
- Australia - 1.16 Million
- Canada - 1 Million
- Switzerland - .96 Million
- Belgium - 0.86 Million
How Many Indians Visited The UK?
Being a growing market, stats reveal that approximately 604,000 Indians visited the UK in 2023, which is much higher compared to the numbers of 2022, which could only register 258,000 visitors.
While these are only short-term visitors, 250,000 Indian nationals visited the UK for study, work or numerous other long-term stays.
Global Rankings
What Is The Rank Of the UK In 2024?
According to the Anholt Nation Brands Index of 2024, the United Kingdom ranked 5th out of 50 nations, which was 4th during 2023 for overall ranking. Here are the other stats ranking for the UK compared to 2023 and 2024.
- Tourism - The UK was ranked 6th place for the fourth consecutive year.
- Culture - Britain’s ranking dropped by one to 5th place.
- People - The ranking is fixed at 10th place.
- Favourability & Familiarity - The UK favourability index ranking dropped to 7th while retaining 3rd place.
How Does The UK Compare To The Popular Tourist Destinations In The World?
London, UK, ranks as the second most popular destination in the world, while Istanbul ranks at the top for the latest data of 2023. With 18.8 million visitors arriving in London in 2023, the capital is retaining its position as the most popular tourist destination globally.
Top Destinations
What Is The Most Visited City In The UK?
As London wears the crown for being a top tourist destination, 2024’s first half brought 10.4 million visitors alone, with a positive growth of 10% compared to 2023. Various destinations will be experiencing an influx of tourists globally in 2024. However, some of the top destinations include London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool.
Despite the inflation and higher costs for specific destinations, it seems like tourism thrived on the destination regardless of the individuals’ spending power. While it could be argued that the stats are because of the tourists’ interest towards the capitals, at the same time, the major reason also includes the accessibility of public and private transport options. The numbers also indicate the fact that tourism activity is fueled by group travellers.
What Are The Visitor Numbers For Major UK destinations like Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, & Liverpool?
Being the top-ranked cities for tourism, the visitor counts for these major UK destinations vary based on the time of the year and attractions. Looking at the actual figure for each city for 2023, the data reveals:
- Edinburgh recorded 2.1 million visitors in 2023 alone, which is a 28% increase compared to 2022.
- Manchester has welcomed 1.7 million visitors, overtaking Birmingham with only 934,000 in 2023.
- Liverpool broke all records in tourism when it hosted the Eurovision event and invited over 4.4 million visitors.
How Many Tourists Visited London In 2024?
According to the latest data, over 10 million visitors were recorded for their visit to London in the first half of 2024. This is a 5% increase compared to the pre-pandemic numbers of 2019 and a 10% increase compared to 2023. Here is the breakdown for the tourism in London for each quarter.
2024 Quarter | International Visitors | % change vs.2019 | % changes vs 2023 |
Q1 | 4,836,000 | 6% | 15% |
Q2 | 5,591,000 | 4% | 5% |
Q3 | Not yet Public | Not yet Public | Not yet Public |
Q4 | Not yet Public | Not yet Public | Not yet Public |
Total | 10,427,000 | 5% | 10% |
What Region Of The UK Is Famous For Domestic Tourism?
For domestic tourism specifically, the Southwest United Kingdom has been an outstanding contender compared to London, Scotland and Wales. That is because the region recorded 16% of the total domestic tourism, with the famous areas being Stonehenge, Roman Baths, Jurassic Coast and St. Micheal’s Mount.
What Are The Stats For Tourism In Cairngorms National Park?
Being the famous national park of the UK, the Cairngorms National Park experienced the highest off-peak growth of 18%.
How Many Tourists Prefer Less Popular Locations In The UK?
Apart from the overcrowded peak tourist attractions, one in five tourists are more interested in visiting a hidden gem or off-the-beaten path destination that is little known but shares great cultural exposure. This is important since the famous attractions are shaped to the preferences of the majority of international tourists. Meanwhile, these hidden and less popular attractions can offer an original perspective into the UK’s culture.
Top Attractions
What Are The Most Visited Attractions In The UK?
The British Museum is the most visited attraction, drawing in around 5.8 million visitors in 2023 alone, which is a 42% increase compared to 2022. This figure is aiming for projection further with numerous other attractions including the Natural History Museum, Windsor Great Park, Tate Modern, Southbank Centre and many more.
Here are the top 10 most-visited attractions in the UK for 2023.
- British Museum - 5.8 million visitors
- National History Museum - 5.6 million visitors
- Windsor Great Park - 5.5 million visitors
- Tate Modern - 4.7 million visitors
- Southbank Centre - 3.4 million visitors
- V&A South Kensington - 3.1 million visitors
- The National Gallery - 3 million visitors
- Science Museum - 2.9 million visitors
- Tower of London - 2.8 million visitors
- Somerset House - 2.7 million visitors
This data shows that the tourism scene in the UK is fueled by the cultural and historical influence of the country. That is also the reason why government authorities are striving for cultural and architectural preservation during the ongoing climate crisis. Several heritage sites, such as Stonehenge, the Tower of London, and Edinburgh Castle, are also major influencers driving tourism attention in 2024 and beyond.
Which Attractions Of The UK Were Famous For Royal Tourism?
Royal Estates are the top attraction among tourists, with 1.4 million tourists paying a visit to Windsor Castle and Frogmore House in 2024. Despite still underwhelming numbers compared to 2019, the tourist traffic to Royal tourism is recovering steadily. Here are the rest of the Royal Attractions that are famous for tourism activity in the UK.
- Buckingham Palace - 530,000 visitors
- Palace of Holyroodhouse - 443,000 visitors
- The Royal Mews - 182,000 visitors
What Are The Most Visited Paid Attractions In 2023?
Windsor Great Park stands above the rest of the list for attracting 5.4 million visitors in 2023 alone, despite being a paid attraction in the UK. Meanwhile, the Tower of London ranks at the second spot with 2.7 million visitors.
UK Travel & Tourism Market Share
What Percentage Of The UK’s GDP Is Made Up Of Travel & Tourism?
As of 2023, the Travel and Tourism sector contributed 9.5% to the UK’s GDP. It is not a full recovery of 9.9% in 2019, but it is still an outstanding figure.
What Was The Total Market Share Of Tourism In The UK?
In 2023, the UK’s total market share of tourism was recorded at $163.41 billion, marking an economic rebound after the COVID-19 pandemic.
How Much Are Camping Trips Valued For Domestic Tourism In The UK?
According to the latest data available from 2021, the camping trip revenue is now valued at £2.7 billion, which is 80% more than 2020, making it the highest positive recovery from the pandemic.
Spendings
What Is The Average Spend Of Tourists Per Staycation in the UK?
The latest data for 2023 reports that the average tourist spends £266 per staycation in the UK. Meanwhile, for 2022, the average spend was £259, which indicates that inflation is greatly impacting the tourism scene in the sector.
What Is The Total Annual Expenditure Of Tourists In The UK?
As of 2023, tourists have spent a total of £31.1 billion for leisure and recreational travel all across the UK. This is also expected to grow with an additional £0.5 - £1 billion in 2024, considering the influx of tourism activity in the country.
How Much Do UK Residents Spend While Travelling Abroad?
The fresh data hints that in the first six months of 2024, Brits spent a total of £18,477 million. Compared to the international tourists’ spending, which is only £10,500 for the same period. This means that UK residents have been spending 1.76 times more than international visitors.
What Are The Sports Impact On The Economy Of The UK?
The UK tourism economy is further strengthened by generating £373 million in 2023. At the same time, UK sports and government authorities also invested £10.8 million, which generated a 6:1 return on investment.
How Much Do Domestic Tourists Spend On Tourism In The UK?
Apart from the international tourists, Brits also spent a total of £31.2 billion for overnight tourism activity in the UK. It means that the domestic tourism contribution is as important as the international tourism traffic.
How Does The UK Perform Among The Adventure Tourism Market?
The UK is a hub for adventure tourism right within Europe and records 19% of the total tourism scene happening in the country. The United Kingdom has always played an important role in attracting diverse tourists, and it seems like it will continue to expand in future.
What Is The Forecast For Adventure Tourism Market In UK?
Along with the prominent performance of adventure tourism, the niche market is expected to grow up to 15.6% at CAGR and target a revenue figure of £72 million by 2030.
Travel Trends
How Many Tourists Use Mobile Booking Apps For Travel Arrangements Compared To Traditional Methods?
As for the data for 2023, 850 million people utilised online mobile booking applications for travel around the United Kingdom. Compared to the figures of 2022, with only 806.2 million people using online booking platforms, the latest year showed positive growth for digital transformative travel experiences all across the UK.
How Many Travel Bookings Were Made Online?
Euromonitor data reveals that over 66% of travel bookings were made completely online, making it a record-breaking shift for consumers toward digital media. Meanwhile, the travel sector is expected to expand even further, with over 75% of the sales coming directly from online.
What Were The Transport Trends For UK Tourism?
The latest insights show that roads remain the top mode of travel for the tourism scene in the country, with 90% of the total distance travelled for tourism. It includes public transport, car rentals, and ride-sharing, along with private minibus hire for group journeys.
Meanwhile, rail transport could only yield approximately 9% of the tourism activity in the United Kingdom, further strengthening its position globally. Thanks to the decade-old transport infrastructure and support from government policies, the regular maintenance of roads and rail networks and government support have been pushing tourism activity forward.
What Are The Stats For Public Transport Journeys?
With more tourists using public transport to travel around Great Britain, local buses rank above with 58% providing easier commuter for the residents. These account for 3.7 billion trips on local buses out of the total of 6.5 billion trips. On the other side, 2.5 billion trips were completed by rail, 0.2 billion on tram systems, while only 15 million were completed on domestic flights.
How Do Brits Travel For Work?
Gov UK released the domestic travel stats for UK residents, which hint that over 70% of Brits travel to work by car. While it is true that there has been a shift in travel behaviour for many, buses and rails are still a preferable choice for many when they are travelling for work.
What Are The Stats For Dominant Traffic On The Road?
Transport Statistics of Great Britain 2022 revealed private cars and light vehicles cover a major portion of transport on UK roads, further pushing the share of domestic travel mileage. This also accounts for the contribution to the local tourism activity to promote easier and smoother transfer between destinations.
How Many Visitors From The UK Travelled By Sea?
Along with 95% of the freight traded with the UK by sea, over 35 million international and domestic visitors travelled to the UK in 2021. Around 16% of these figures were international travellers, making up a major portion of cross-modal transportation.
How Is Transport Contributing To The Tourism Recovery?
With a record-breaking growth of 37.5 million visits in 2023, UK tourism is back on track for post-pandemic recovery. From air travel to the decade-old railway and private transportation services, tourism is a powerful driving force for the UK economy that is on the way to growing even further. The UK Government is committed to investing in and improving the transport sector to enhance its sustainability for international and domestic travellers.
What Are The Bus Fare Trends In The UK?
The bus fares for 2023 have been unstable so far, with a 10% increase in England and a 5% increase in London despite the region's mileage being stable for the whole year.
Specialised & Niche Tourism Sectors
How Many People Visit Historic Sites in the UK?
In 2023, historic sites saw an outstanding increase in visitor numbers of up to 11% compared to 2022. 2023 alone was capable of the admission of over 71 million visitors exploring a variety of historic sites like Castles, Forts, Gardens, Palaces, landmarks, places of worship and heritage centres. Among these, Gardens ranked above all for a whopping 10.4 million visitors in 2023.
What Was The Famous Sports Event Hosted In the UK?
According to the latest figures, the English Football League Championship was the most famous sports event hosted in the UK, which recorded 12.7 million visitors in 2023. This sports event ranks next to the Premier League as the second most attended football event globally.
What Are The Trends Of Film & TV Tourism In The UK?
According to the Nation Brands Index 2023, 70% of UK tourists visited a film or TV location. It means that the resurgence of the tourism sector in the UK was also fueled by the film and TV industry. Here are various other interesting stats for screen tourism in the UK.
What Regions Are More Popular For Screen Tourism In The UK?
Scotland is famous for its great offerings of screen tourism, thanks to movies and TV shows like Harry Potter and Outlander. Other popular regional destinations include:
- Wales (Doctor Who, His Dark Materials)
- Northern Ireland (Game of Thrones)
- England (Downtown Abbey, The Crown)
What Are The Trends Of Music Tourism In The UK?
The musical Tourism niche is growing sharply, with a total of 19.2 million for both domestic and international travellers in 2023. These figures are 33% higher than in 2022, marking a new record for the highest visitor count.
How Many Jobs Does Music Tourism Add In The UK?
The music tourism industry is growing at a remarkable rate and added 56,000 jobs to the sector in 2022.
What Is The Rank Of The UK For Music Tourism?
The UK ranks at the top of the list for music tourism, forecasted to grow at 5.9% CAGR in 2030. Meanwhile, the USA is at the second highest with growth targeted at 5.7%.
What Was The Highest Performing Year For Music Industry In The UK?
The music tourism industry in the UK reached £6.6 billion in 2022, which was a peak figure compared to 2019’s £4.7 billion.
Which UK Region Is Famous For Music Tourism?
London is a top region not just for business and traditional tourism but also for its outstanding music tourism value, and welcomed 4.9 million tourists in 2023.
What Are The Stats For British Residents' Interests In Music Tourism?
According to the latest statistics, 10% of the residents are willing to travel eight hours or flights to experience the artists or festivals related to music.
How Many Brits Travel For Music Tourism?
63% of the British residents have already travelled for music tourism with a gig or festival package. It means that music tourism for both inbound and outbound is promising for the UK.
What Are The Top Destinations Brits Want To Travel To For Music Tourism?
UK residents share a great interest in travelling to New York, Las Vegas, Sydney and Barcelona for a special musical holiday experience.
What Were The Busiest Months For Business Travel In The UK?
In 2023, March, September, October and November were the busiest months, experiencing higher arrivals for business travellers and strengthening a stronger recovery for post-COVID.
Which Business Exhibitions Experienced Higher Growth In 2023?
According to the latest data, tech exhibitions are seeing a remarkable growth, with leisure and recreation activities growing up to 20% in 2023 compared to 19%.
What Is The Percentage Of Rural Tourism In The UK?
Well-sustainable rural tourism is also growing strongly, with 70 - 80% of all UK tourism directly related to undercrowded and nature-based destinations. Even better, the latest stats for 2024 shed light on 47% of adults planning a journey for camping or caravanning holidays.
How Is Nature Tourism Driving Growth In The UK?
Within the increasing recreational tourism activity in the UK, rural and nature-based tourism is taking the lead, with areas like the Scottish Highlands breaking the record in 2023 with a 9% increase in visitors. In 2024, the Highlands welcomed 300,000 visitors to explore the stunning landscape and natural outdoors.
Next up, Wales has expanded its railway coverage to 170 services to assist the local tourism value towards outdoor destinations. Thanks to the Heritage Railway service in Wales, the tourism industry accommodates 18.5 million journeys enjoyed by tourists in 2023.
How Many Tourists Visited The UK For Sports Tourism?
The UK is also rising on top with 80 million tourists visiting the country for sports events. It settles the debate for the diversity and great tourism appeal offered by the UK and how it will continue to contribute to the thriving economy further in the future.
What Sport Is Famous Among Tourists In The UK?
Football is not just a popular sport, but it also attracts a lot of global attention for tourism value in the UK. In 2023, football sports events recorded over 80 million of the total tourism activity happening all across the United Kingdom.
What Is The Second Most Popular Sport In The UK?
Apart from football, cricket is also a major sporting event that has been attracting 4.5 million tourists, both international and domestic, in 2023.
How Many Nights Did Football Sports Tourists Spent In The UK?
Tourists visiting the UK for football sports in 2019 stayed a total of 10 nights per visit, which is higher compared to the average 7 nights.
How Much Amount Attendees Spent During Their Visit To Sports Events?
With 10 nights per visit, attendees spent an average of £87 per night for sports events.
Sport | Visits (000) | Spend (£m) | Nights (000) |
Football | 1,505 | 1,368 | 15,729 |
Cricket | 225 | 349 | 3,332 |
Rugby | 203 | 160 | 2,336 |
Tennis | 166 | 218 | 2,340 |
Horse racing | 78 | 118 | 914 |
Motor sport | 70 | 35 | 396 |
Golf | 61 | 129 | 997 |
Marathon | 51 | 54 | 669 |
What Are The Top Markets By Spending For Sports Tourism?
Qatar ranks above all countries for the highest spending in football events in the UK with £118 million, despite its inbound traffic rank of 44. Meanwhile, the USA comes at the second spot with £115 million and China at the third with £108 million in spending.
Which Stadium Has Been The Top Attraction For International Tourists?
With 226,000 visits in 2019, Old Trafford retains its top position for highest inbound tourism traffic, specifically for football sports.
What Are The Visitors' Demographics For Live Football Sports?
Of the total tourists traffic coming to the UK for sports, 83% are male and 17% female, with the primary audience being young adults aged 25 to 34.
How Football Visitors Compare To The Rest Of The Sports?
According to VisitBritain, tourists for football matches tend to stay longer in the UK as compared to the other sports like cricket, tennis and rugby.
Medical And Business Tourism Trends
What Are The Trends For Medical Tourism In The UK?
For 2023, medical tourism has grown, with the market value reaching USD 7.83 billion. This is expected to grow even further at a CAGR of 30.5% and USD 1,159.2 billion.
What Are The Forecasts For Medical Tourism In The UK?
The United Kingdom’s medical tourism is expected to grow exponentially, with the value reaching $137.7 billion in the next ten years. This hints at the outstanding interest of tourists in opting for healthy and mindful travel practices instead of traditional tourism.
What Is The Global Rank Of The UK For Medical Tourism?
From the data of 2020, the UK is at the fifth position for its high appeal of medical tourism and activities that support the holistic health of the individuals.
What Are The Top Countries Visiting The UK For Medical Tourism Specifically?
As for the top countries in 2021, the EU-15 topped for 62% of the tourism, accounting for medical. At the same time and surprisingly, North America was only 3% of the medical tourism activity in the UK.
What Are The Top Reasons For Pursuing Medical Tourism In The UK?
For medical travel, the highest demands included dental procedures, cosmetic surgery, fertility treatment, organ transplantation and cancer treatment in the United Kingdom. This is much insightful of the UK’s better infrastructure and reliability of services that is paving the way for an influx of medical tourism.
What Is The Trend Of Business + Leisure Travel In The UK?
According to the latest stats, 56% of business trips were converted into leisure activity. This trend shows a positive tourism activity with a lot of opportunities for bleisure travellers.
How Many Trips Do Bleisure Travellers Make To the UK?
From 22 days of the corporate trips taken by travellers, on average, 6.5 trips account for bleisure to the local sightseeing and stays at the highlighted cities of the UK.
What Is The Percentage Of Bleisure Travellers For Domestic & International Travellers In The UK?
In the UK, 64% of the bleisure travellers are domestic, while 36% are international visitors, making the country a top destination for business and leisure activities.
How Much Did Business Travellers Spend In 2023?
With £3.17 billion in total spent in 2023, business travellers are renowned for their influential interest in the UK and positive growth trends for the coming years.
What Are The Stats For Business Travel Industry MICE?
MICE, or Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions, is also growing exponentially and welcomed 1.5 million visitors in 2023, with spending reaching £1.7 billion.
How Do The Spendings Of Business Events & Conferences Compare To Traditional Tourism?
For 2023, business events and conference spending were 38% higher compared to traditional tourism. It means that the business travel sector is contributing promising figures to the United Kingdom’s economy.
How Many Visitors Attended Trade Shows & Business Events In United Kingdom?
The 2023 estimate reveals 2.4 million visitors joining the international trade shows and business events, much higher than the 2019 numbers.
How Many Business Trips Did Brits Make In 2023?
UK residents were also recorded with 6.3 million travellers with the main purpose of business in 2023. With these figures available, it is no wonder how big the UK business travel market is expected to become in the upcoming years.
How much do business travellers stay in the UK?
VisitBritain revealed that the total business travellers stayed for over 6.9 million nights in 2023, which compares to 23.8 million nights in the UK in 2023, 9% of all nights.
What Is The Rank Of The UK For Business Travel Spendings?
UK ranked at the sixth position for the business travel spendings, reaching up to $18 billion in 2021.
What Is The Major Business Travel Destination In The UK?
London is the central travel destination for 2.98 million international visitors in 2023. Being the capital of the country, London hosts a variety of business events and opportunities, making it a most lucrative city for non-leisure travel.
How Much Do Business Travellers Spend On Average In London?
As of 2023, business travellers spent an average of £462 per day in London. This spending was exclusively for business needs and does not take into account leisure travel plans.
What Is The Rate Of Recovery For Business Events?
The business event travel sector is recovering much faster for post-COVID recovery, with events travel receiving 1.4 million in 2023, compared to 1.1 million visits in 2022.
Year | Business Events Visits (000) | Business Events Spend (£m) |
2016 | 1,425 | 1,479 |
2018 | 1,602 | 1,289 |
2019 | 1,774 | 1,678 |
2022 | 1,112 | 1,456 |
2023 | 1,491 | 1,686 |
Top Activities & Traveller Behavior
What Was The Main Purpose Of Visitors To Travel In The UK?
In 2023, 32% of tourists flocked towards the UK to spend holidays, while 37% were visiting family and friends. Not to mention, 26% of the trips were registered for other purposes, and only 5% of the visitors were travelling for business.
As for 2024, we have the data for six months only, which shares great insights into the positive growth of the purpose of visits for travellers in the UK.
Period | Holiday | Business | Visiting friends or relatives | Miscellaneous | Total |
2024 January | 1,294,000 | 480,000 | 1,369,000 | 214,000 | 3,358,000 |
2024 February | 890,000 | 538,000 | 850,000 | 184,000 | 2,461,000 |
2024 March | 1,124,000 | 727,000 | 781,000 | 280,000 | 2,912,000 |
2024 April | 1,311,000 | 687,000 | 1,009,000 | 352,000 | 3,359,000 |
2024 May | 1,722,000 | 729,000 | 1,182,000 | 272,000 | 3,906,000 |
2024 June | 1,470,000 | 638,000 | 1,099,000 | 305,000 | 3,513,000 |
Total | 7,811,000 | 3,799,000 | 6,290,000 | 1,607,000 | 19,509,000 |
What is the Main Issue that People Visiting the UK Face?
According to data from TripAdvisor, 36% of tourists are disappointed because of unreliable flight cancellations and delays. This data is much higher compared to 2019, which was only 20%.
How Many Travellers Are Mindful of Eco-Friendly Travel?
A total of 23% of the travellers in the UK prefer to travel around destinations that are near their homes or hotels, purely because of contributing to the climate crisis. This indicates the mindfulness of a majority of travellers who are committed to reducing the carbon emissions because of travelling while still greatly contributing to the growing tourism economy of the UK.
How Many UK Travellers Care About Sustainability?
71% of the tourists and travellers in the UK actually care about the sustainability practices and conservation of natural resources. Thanks to the combined efforts of travel companies and government authorities, tourism activity is becoming more eco-conscious, with a focus on playing a major part in the climate crisis.
How Many Travellers Show Concerns For Climate Change In The UK?
9% of the travellers show extreme concerns related to climate change and would not travel abroad because of the environmental impact. Meanwhile, 12% of the travellers share an extreme concern but still travel to the UK and abroad.
What Are The Trends For Camping Trip Growth In Domestic Tourism Of The UK?
Statista has revealed promising figures of 6.5 million domestic tourists willing to go for camping trips in the UK by 2029.
How Many Domestic Tourists Are Interested In Active Holidays Around The UK?
According to a latest survey, 40% of the Brits showed interest in active holidays with sports events to go beyond then the attraction’s physical appeal. These tourists expressed a great deal of attention to dive into the traditional values and culture of a specific destination to make the tourism experience richer.
What Is The Interest In Rural & Outdoor Tourism Among Brits?
Rural tourism ranks higher, with 47% of British citizens recorded going camping for holiday trips in the last three years.
How Many International Tourists Comply With Sustainable Travel Practices?
International tourists, especially 69% from the USA, are more interested in eco-conscious travel practices rather than in leaving a large carbon footprint.
What Are The Forecasts For Sustainable Tourism In The UK?
UK tourism is on the path to grow prominently with the sector quickly adopting the green tourism practices. For instance, in 2023, the searches for “farm experiences” and “farm shops” started increasing up to 36%, which were at 54% in pre-pandemic 2019 numbers.
What Is The UK's Contribution To Promoting Rural Tourism In The Country?
In 2022, Scotland came forward to invest a total of £3 million to promote and improve the tourism sector, specifically focusing on the rural tourism activity. This funding will also strengthen the eco-friendly tourism options for travellers, making the UK a viable destination for the future.
Timing, Duration and Accommodation
What Is The Best Time To Visit The UK?
Summer, specifically June, July & August, are the top months of peak tourism season in the UK from 2023 and 2024. From June to August, the total visits reached 11 million, which is 10% less compared to 2019’s three months.
This could be because of the warm climate that supports the exploration activities for the tourists. August 2023 saw a slight dip in inbound visitors, with only 3.7 million visits. Compared to pre-pandemic 2019 August figures, these visits are 17% less.
What Is The Duration Of Trip For Holidays, and Friend Visits to the UK?
In 2023, on average, 71% of the visitors spent 3 nights for holidays in the UK. Meanwhile, the data for Scotland’s duration of the trip is more distributed, given the tourism appeal of the destination. Along with 1-3 nights of holiday trips, 30% of the travellers often spend 4-7 nights. Only 8% of the tourists go far to enjoy 8+ nights during their stay in Scotland.
What Is The Favourite Accommodation For Tourists In The UK?
Hotels and Guest Houses are the favourite accommodation for inbound tourists in the UK for 2023, with 30.34 million visitors surpassing 2019 figures of 29.13 million by 4.15%. Next up, tourists preferred the accommodation of rented houses and flats, which accounted for 10.64 million visitors, almost recovering to the pre-pandemic numbers of 2019 of 10.67 million visitors.
What Was The Hotel Occupancy Rate For the UK?
As per the latest data, the hotel occupancy rate for the UK increased up to 80% in May 2024 for peak season tourism. These stats are much higher compared to the figures of 2019 - 2023.
Which Region Of the UK Experienced The Highest Tourism Growth?
Here are the stats for the fastest-growing regions in the UK.
- In 2023, England’s South East region experienced the highest growth, with 4.3 million visits.
- As for Scotland, it broke the record for 4 million visits in 2023, which is 41% higher compared to the numbers of 2019.
What Is The Average Duration Of Domestic Tourists In The UK?
In 2023, on average, Brits enjoyed 2.9 nights as part of their domestic tourism activity.
