Tourism in the UK [wpdts-year] statistics
The United Kingdom may be the world’s 10th biggest tourist destination, with over 37 million visiting in 2018.
The tourism industry contributed a total of £213 billion to the GDP in 2017, likely to increase to £265 billion by 2028.
US$31.93 billion was spent in the United Kingdom by foreign tourists in 2017.
VisitBritain data displays that the United States remains the most effective inbound marketplace, with American visitors spending £2.1 billion this year 2010.
Nevertheless, the number of travelers originating from Europe is a lot bigger than those traveling from THE UNITED STATES: 21.5 million in comparison to 3.5 million American/Canadian visitors.
After a 7-year rise, tourism to the Uk declined sharply from 2017 to 2018.
London, Edinburgh, Oxford, Cambridge, York, and Canterbury are the country’s principal holiday destinations.
The United Kingdom hosts a complete of 32 World Heritage sites, the 8th most in the world.
The Lonely Planet travel guide voted England number 2 2, after Bhutan, as one of the best countries to visit in 2020.
Probably the most popular cities include London, Edinburgh, and Manchester and notable attractions include the Palace of Westminster, the London Vision, and Edinburgh Castle.
Tourism is the fastest growing industry in the United Kingdom and it is expected to grow by 3.8% annually until 2025, 0.5% higher than the global average, and is responsible for 10% of all jobs.
The United Kingdom is the 10th most visited country in the world and the 4th most visited country in Europe.
Overall Europe has a 40% market share of total global tourist visits worldwide, with the United Kingdom contributing heavily.
Lockdowns necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced the number of visitors in 2020, and into 2021.
The government announced a £56m “welcome back fund” in March 2021 to help councils and businesses in coastal towns prepare to welcome tourists back safely in summer, “as soon as the roadmap allows”.
As of March 2021, a 10-day quarantine period applies to people entering the UK from several “red list” countries.
History
Tourism first began to increase during the 17th century when wealthy Europeans would follow the ‘Grand Tour’ of Western European countries which traditionally were only available in the United Kingdom before planning a trip to Italy.
Throughout the commercial revolution, tourism continued to spike as people started to have significantly more disposable income and technological advancements produced transport far more convenient and affordable.
In 1841, Thomas Cook, founder of Thomas Cook & Boy, took 500 passengers by teaching on a come-back trip from Leicester to Loughborough.
This is his first excursion and sometimes appears like a substantial milestone in the creation of the Uk tourism industry.
The world wars dampened the development of the tourism sector, although after World War II the federal government began putting actions in place to enhance tourism recognizing its political and financial influence.
By 1987, the Globe Tourism Firm estimated 3.4% of the UK’s GDP originated from tourism.
Recently, budget airlines and cheap lodging have caused nearly continuous year-on-year growth.
In newer times, terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom like the 7/7 bombings in 2005 experienced an expected negative effect on the tourism industry.
The Global FINANCIAL MELTDOWN of 2008 caused 3 consecutive years of the number of visitors from overseas to diminish for the only period between 2002 and 2017.
Politics
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Condition for Arts, Heritage and Tourism may be the minister with responsibility for tourism in the United Kingdom.
Domestic tourism
According to VisitBritain, domestic tourism remains the largest component of tourist spending in the United Kingdom, with 2008 expenditures totaling £21.9 billion,
The nationwide statistical agency also estimates that there have been 126 million trips manufactured in 2009.
The busiest period for domestic travel in the United Kingdom is during bank holidays and the summertime months, with August being the busiest.
International tourism
The official statistics for the ultimate quarter of 2019 have yet to been published, although in 2018 a complete of 37.9 million people visited the United Kingdom from overseas and cumulatively spent £22.8 billion, making the common spend per visit £601.
Compared to 2017, there have been 5.3% and 2.3% respective reductions in international visitors and spending.
This is the first time since 2009-10 that the number of visitors has dropped.
This has been related to the emergence of other countries, particularly in the center East and Asia, as holiday destinations and also the geopolitical uncertainty which has manifested because this of the Brexit 2016 referendum.
Visa and Access requirements
Visa requirements are different based on the origin of the average person wishing to enter the UK.
Some individuals have the entitlement to enter the United Kingdom without a visa and have no limitations on their amount of stay, work policies, or research policies.
These groupings are British nationals, residents of Commonwealth countries who have the proper abode, Irish residents, and until at least 31 December 2020, EU citizens and residents of EFTA member states.
There are 56 other countries and territories that may stay in the UK for 6 months.
Nationals of other countries must hold a typical Visitor visa, costing £95, to visit for 6 months.
Major attractions
London may be the most visited city in Britain, and some of the small towns and metropolitan areas attract a substantial number of tourists.
The county’s other large cities such for example Manchester and Liverpool draw good-sized quantities, plus some smaller cities have key tourist attraction landmarks.
The university cities of Oxford and Cambridge are, despite their smaller population, recognized worldwide because of the Oxbridge universities’ legacies.
VisitBritain, the tourist table of Great Britain, analyses data from the Office for National Statistics to estimate the number of visitors that attend each attraction.
This can be hard to measure for landmarks such as Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Westminster, as many tourists visit the surrounding area without actually becoming admitted into the venue.
Transport
Arriving in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom only has one land border where Northern Ireland meets the Republic of Ireland.
This border is considered an open border due to the Common Travel Area arrangement and as a result, is subject to minimal controls.
The lack of control at the border makes it difficult to estimate the number of visitors from the Republic of Ireland into Northern Ireland.
In 2018, the total number of international visits to the United Kingdom was 37.9 million.
Out of the 37.9 million visitors, 29.06 million arrived by airplane, 4.81 million by boat, and 4.04 million crossed from France using the Channel Tunnel.
Traveling within the United Kingdom
With 48% of tourists using intracity buses, tubes, trams and metro trains; they are by far the most popular methods of transport.
The next most common methods of transports are taxis and trains (outside town/city) with 27% and 23% respectively.
Trains are used to travel between towns significantly more than airplanes, with only 1% of international visitors flying domestically.
This has been attributed to the United Kingdom’s vast rail network being the most economical way to travel.
Despite Uber being in a legal battle to operate in London, the rise of Uber and additional ride-sharing companies throughout the United Kingdom has resulted in them being utilized by 9% of international travelers and they are likely to further increase, reducing the marketplace share of other ways of transport.
Events, Festivals and Exhibitions
The United Kingdom plays host to a variety of events that attract both international and domestic tourists.
Some of the United Kingdom’s most famous festivals include Notting Hill Carnival, Glastonbury, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
These festivals not only hold cultural significance but are also a major economic component of the United Kingdom’s tourist industry, with Glastonbury alone contributing £100 million to the economy annually.
The beauty, real estate, and arms industries are some of the many industries that hold trade shows and exhibitions year-round throughout the United Kingdom, with the majority being held in London or Birmingham.
VisitBritain has estimated in 2015 there were 65-million-day visits centered around events, festivals, and exhibitions and in total, they accounted for 5% of all tourist day visits and a net spend of £3.6 billion.
Marketing
In 2011, VisitBritain launched GREAT, one of a £100 million marketing campaign, promoting the United Kingdom through culture, heritage, sport, music, countryside, food, and shopping.
The campaign has successfully reached over 145 countries and united both the public and private sectors to generate growth and jobs.
Overall, inbound and domestic marketing has generated £1 billion in additional visitor spend, of which, £800 million can be attributed to the GREAT campaign.
Shopping
Shopping is 1 of the most common activities for overseas visitors to the United Kingdom with 58% of all visits and 70% of leisure visits involving shopping.
Each year, roughly 277,000 people travel to the United Kingdom for the primary reason of personal shopping.
The total spend of these visits is around £168 million.
The most commonly purchased items are clothes and shoes with just over 40% of visitors purchasing at least one item of clothing or a couple of shoes.
Ornamental souvenirs representing items found in the United Kingdom such as post-office boxes, black cabs, and London buses are commonly found in souvenir shops over the United Kingdom.
Other examples of commonly purchased souvenirs include Union Jack branded goods, items from famous department stores like Harrods and Selfridges, and memorabilia encircling the British royal family.
Tourism today
Nowadays, the UK attracts worldwide guests with a mixture of rural and urban landscapes and the selling point of British Culture which includes sport, food, and art.
The COVID-19 pandemic affected tourism in Britain.
In March 2020, the federal government decided to impose restrictions on all non-important travel (both domestic and worldwide) that are still in place.
It had been reported that in April Heathrow Airport terminal was expecting 6.7 million travelers, but only 200,000 arrived which is roughly equal to a normal day.
In April 2020, professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers anticipated that the most severely affected sectors in the U.K. such for example transport, hotels, and food provider could drop by at the very least 15% or in the worst-case scenario by 40%.
🏨 Hotels Near United Kingdom
| Hotel | Address | City | Phone | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilton Reading | 📍 Drake Way, Reading RG2 0GQ, United Kingdom | Reading | 📞 +44 118 916 9000 | hilton.com/en/hotels/lhrhrhi-hilton-reading/ |
| Hampton by Hilton Stockton on Tees | 📍 Church Rd, Stockton-on-Tees TS18 1TW, United Kingdom | Stockton-on-Tees | 📞 +44 1642 432520 | hilton.com/en/hotels/mmekthx-hampton-stockton-on-tees/ |
| Threadneedles, Autograph Collection | 📍 5 Threadneedle St, London EC2R 8AY, United Kingdom | London | 📞 +44 20 7657 8080 | hotelthreadneedles.co.uk/ |
| Thistle Holborn | 📍 36-37 Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2SD, United Kingdom | London | 📞 +44 20 7523 5059 | – |
| Folkestone Grand Burstin Hotel | 📍 The Harbour, Marine Parade, Folkestone CT20 1TX, United Kingdom | Folkestone | 📞 +44 871 222 0048 | britanniahotels.com/hotels/the-grand-burstin-hotel-folkestone/ |
| Premier Inn London Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 hotel | 📍 Sheffield Rd, Heathrow, Hounslow TW6 3AF, United Kingdom | Hounslow | 📞 +44 333 234 6600 | premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/greater-london/london/london-heathrow-airport-terminal-4.html |
| Crowne Plaza London – the City, an IHG Hotel | 📍 19 New Bridge St, London EC4V 6DB, United Kingdom | London | – | ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/gb/en/london/loncy/hoteldetail |
| Clayton Hotel City of London | 📍 10 New Drum St, London E1 7AT, United Kingdom | London | 📞 +44 20 3687 2777 | claytonhotelcityoflondon.com/ |
| Norbreck Castle Hotel | 📍 Queen’s Promenade, Norbreck, Blackpool FY2 9AA, United Kingdom | Blackpool | 📞 +44 871 222 0031 | britanniahotels.com/hotels/the-norbreck-castle-hotel/ |
| Hilton London Euston | 📍 17-18 Upper Woburn Pl, London WC1H 0HT, United Kingdom | London | 📞 +44 20 7943 4500 | hilton.com/en/hotels/loneuhi-hilton-london-euston/ |
🎉 Tourist attractions Near United Kingdom
| Top attraction | Address | City | Discover |
|---|---|---|---|
| BT Tower | 📍 60 Cleveland St, London W1T 4JZ, United Kingdom | London | Tourist attraction |
| Bushy Park | 📍 United Kingdom | London | Park |
| Blackpool Pleasure Beach | 📍 525 Ocean Blvd, Blackpool FY4 1EZ, United Kingdom | Blackpool | Amusement park |
| lastminute.com London Eye | 📍 Riverside Building, County Hall, London SE1 7PB, United Kingdom | London | Tourist attraction |
| Tower Bridge | 📍 Tower Bridge Rd, London SE1 2UP, United Kingdom | London | Bridge |
| Clifford’s Tower, York | 📍 Tower St, York YO1 9SA, United Kingdom | York | Historical landmark |
| The Edinburgh Dungeon | 📍 31 Market St, Edinburgh EH1 1DF, United Kingdom | Edinburgh | Tourist attraction |
| Glamis Castle | 📍 Forfar DD8 1RJ, United Kingdom | Forfar | Castle |
| Hadrian’s Wall | 📍 Brampton CA8 7DD, United Kingdom | Brampton | Historical landmark |
| Forth Bridge | 📍 United Kingdom | Edinburgh | Bridge |
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