Reviving inbound tourism: The UK's journey to recovery
- The inbound tourism forecast for 2024 anticipated 38.7 million visits, an impressive 95% recovery compared to the levels in 2019. Inbound visits are expected to return to or surpass 2019 levels by early 2025. (Visit Britain)
- In 2024, inbound visitors were projected to spend £32.5 billion. Visitor spend now surpasses 2019 levels by 114% in nominal terms. (Visit Britain)
- From September 2023 - September 2024, there were more than 130 million passenger arrivals to the UK, with 45% of those being international tourists. (UK Gov)
- Overseas residents made 38 million visits to the UK in 2023, up from 31 million in 2022. (Office for National Statistics)
- In 2023, London remained the most visited city in the UK by international visitors with just over 20 million overnight visits from overseas visitors. (Office for National Statistics)
- Edinburgh and Manchester welcomed a considerable number of tourists in 2022 — 2.3 million and 1.7 million respectively — making them the second and third most popular destinations. (ONS)
- In 2023, the United States topped the list as the leading inbound travel market for international visits to the UK, with approximately 5.1 million inbound trips from American travelers. (ONS)
- Following closely were European tourist visits from France, Germany, and the Republic of Ireland. (ONS)
- In 2023, tourist spending by Americans was up to a record £6.26bn while visiting the UK, up 50% from 2019. (Road Genius)
- The British Museum, National History Museum, The Crown Estate, , and the Tate Modern topped the list of the most popular free attractions in England in 2023. (ALVA)
- Windsor Great Park, the Tower of London, the Royal Botanic Gardens, and the Chester Zoo topped the list of the most popular paid attractions in England in 2023. (Statista)
- The British Museum was the most visited tourist attraction throughout the UK in 2023, attracting 5.8 million visitors. (ALVA)
A surge in travel staycations: UK domestic tourism statistics
- In 2023, Brits enjoyed nearly 117 million overnight trips within the UK, up from just 45 million in 2021. (Wales Gov)
- In 2021, domestic travelers in the UK spent £98.7 billion on trips around the UK.
- In 2023, domestic travelers in the UK spent £31.2 billion on domestic overnight tourism around the UK. (Wales Gov)
- In 2023, outbound international trips by Brits amounted to 86.2 million. (ONS)
- The average duration of domestic overnight trips for British residents in 2023 was 2.9 nights, just slightly down from the previous year, where the average was 3.0 nights. (Wales Gov)
- The Southwest of the UK is Brit’s top destination for overnight domestic trips, accounting for 16% of all overnight domestic trips. (Allied Passport)
- The average spend per staycation in 2023 was £266. (Wales Gov)
Adventure tourism statistics: Visitors to the UK have caught the adventure bug
- The UNWTO reports that the UK boasts Europe’s largest adventure tourism market, accounting for 19% of the world's adventure travel tourists. (UNWTO)
- The adventure tourism market in the UK is expected to reach a projected revenue of £72 million by 2030. (Grand View Research)
- The UK market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15.6% from 2024 to 2030. (Grand View Research)
- 40% of British tourists surveyed said they prefer sports and active holidays. (ITA)
- By 2029, it is projected that there will be 6.5 million Brits taking camping trips in the UK. (Statista)
Healthcare tourism statistics beyond borders: Medical tourism in the UK is on the rise
- The UK medical tourism market reached £6.1 billion in 2023. Further, the market is expected to be valued over £22.5 billion by 2032. (IMarc)
- The global medical tourism market is projected to be worth $822 billion by 2032.
- In 2020, the UK ranked fifth in the global destination environment ranking for medical tourism. (Statista)
- In 2021, a total of 34,000 inbound visits to the UK were for medical treatment. (Statista)
- Of the 34,000 medical tourists in 2021, 62% were from countries in the EU-15, and less than 3% were from North America. (Statista)
- Convenience, enhanced infrastructure, and enhanced standards are the top reasons why medical tourists choose the UK for treatment. (FMI)
- Dental care, cosmetic surgery, fertility treatments, organ and tissue transplantation, and cancer treatment top the list of popular procedures for medical tourism trips. (MarketUS)
Sports tourism statistics: Football rules UK sports tourism
- In 2023, more than 80 million people attended professional sporting events throughout the UK. (Two Circles)
- Football continues to contribute two-thirds of UK crowds, with the Premier League accounting for one in five of all UK sports attendances. (Two Circles)
- Football is the number one sporting attraction for the UK, with over 55 million fans attending a football match in 2023. (Two Circles)
- Cricket is the second biggest sporting draw with 4.5 million attendees in 2023. (Two Circles)
- Live football, cricket, rugby, and tennis are the most popular sports for visitors to the UK. (Visit Britain)
- Football visitors also spend the most and stay the longest in the UK, compared to visitors for other sports. (Visit Britain)
Business tourism statistics: Meetings, incentive trips, and exhibitions fuel the business tourism boom in the UK
- In 2023, there were 6.4 million visits to the UK for business reasons. (ONS)
- Business contributed £3.17 billion in total spend in 2023. (Statista)
- Business travelers to England made up 22% of all inbound visitors in 2023. (Statista)
- Unlike typical tourism flows, business visits to the UK don't show much seasonality, which means there's a steady number of visitors year-round.
- In 2023, Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) brought 1.5 million inbound visitors to the UK, with visitors spending a hefty £1.7 billion. (Visit Britain)
- Travelers to the UK for business events and conferences spend 38% more than the average inbound visitor. (Visit Britain)
- In 2023, trade exhibitions and conferences made up 60% of the conference market in the UK. (Visit Britain)
- The number of business conferences hosted in the UK in 2023 was up 164% from 2019 numbers. (Visit Britain)
- An estimated 2.4 million visitors attended trade shows or business conferences in the UK in 2023. (Visit Britain)
- In 2023, Business Events visitors spent a total of 6.9 million nights in the UK, representing 25% of all overnight stays for business travel. (Visit Britain)
- In 2021, the UK was the sixth-largest source of business travel spending worldwide, totaling close to $18 billion. (Statista)
- In 2023, UK residents made an estimated 6.3 million business trips. (ONS)
- Two-thirds of UK businesses planned to boost business travel spend by 50% or more in 2023. (AMEX)
- The Travel and Tourism Development Index ranked the UK as the fifth-best country for non-leisure travel worldwide in 2021, and the first-best country in Europe. (Statista)
- Business travelers flocked to London in 2023, with a remarkable 2.98 million visits from abroad, solidifying its position as the top business travel destination in the UK. (Statista)
- Inbound business travel to London grew by over half a million visits in 2023 compared to 2022. (Statista)
- The average cost of a business trip to London has risen by 15% since 2022.
- As of 2023, London is the third most expensive business travel location in Europe. (ECA International)
- As one of the most expensive cities in the world for business travel, a trip to London costs around £462 per day. (Statista)
- Over half of business trips to the UK turn into bleisure trips. (Stratos)
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Rural tourism statistics: The charm of rural tourism and sustainable travel is on the rise
- Rural tourism contributes about 70-80% of all UK domestic tourism in recent years. (CLA)
- 47% of Brits went camping or caravanning for holiday trips in the past three years. (Mintel)
- One in five travelers prefer less popular tourist destinations in the UK when choosing a holiday or day trip destination. (Mintel)
- The number of visits to the Cairngorms National Park during off-peak periods grew 18% in 2023 compared to pre-pandemic levels (Cairngorms).
- The majority of UK travelers (71%) and US travelers (69%) say that sustainable travel practices are important to them and strive to make more eco-conscious journeys. (Booking)
- 23% of UK travelers chose to travel to a destination closer to home in order to reduce their carbon footprint. (Booking)
- In a bid to enhance rural tourism, Scotland allocated £3 million in 2022 to support 10 infrastructure projects, focusing on visitor facilities, access improvements, and promoting eco-friendly transport options. (Highland Gov)
- Searches in the UK for “farm experiences” or “farm shop” holidays increased 36% and 54% respectively in 2023 compared to 2019. (Savills)
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Music tourism is hitting high notes in the UK
- In 2024, the global music tourism market value was valued at $6.4 million and is on track to exceed an incredible $15 million by 2032. (Future Market Insights)
- The UK is the leading destination in Europe for music tourism in 2024, and is expected to grow 5.9% by 2034. (Future Market Insights)
- The thriving music tourism sector sustained a total of 56,000 jobs across the UK in 2022, massively contributing to overall tourism employment statistics in the country. (UK Music)
- In 2023, the UK’s music scene drew in an impressive 19.2 million domestic and international visitors, growing 33% from 2022. (Statista)
- 2022 marked a crescendo in music tourism spending in the UK, peaking at an impressive £6.6 billion — surpassing the total in 2019 of £4.7 billion. (Statista)
- Attracting a staggering 4.9 million music tourists, London is a major magnet for music lovers. (UK Music)
- Thanks to the draw of legendary groups The Beatles, The Stone Roses, and Oasis, the North West region is close behind with 1.9 million music tourists. (UK Music)
- 10% of British people would travel eight hours by plane to see their favorite artists. (NME)
- 63% of Brits have been on trips that combined travel with a gig or festival. (NME)
- New York, USA and Barcelona, Spain are the top dream travel destinations for British music lovers. (NME)
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