UK residents made 28.3 million visits abroad in Quarter 3 2023; this compares with 25 million visits in Quarter 3 2022.

Overseas residents made 10.9 million visits to the UK in Quarter 3 (July to Sept) 2023; this has increased from the 9.9 million visits that were made in Quarter 3 2022.

Holidays were the most popular reason for UK residents to travel abroad in Quarter 3 2023; this is also true for overseas residents visiting the UK.

Overseas residents’ visits to the UK and UK residents’ visits abroad remain lower than pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic levels from 2019; however, spending was higher in Quarter 3 2023 than in Quarter 3 2019 for both groups.

Overseas residents made a total of 10.9 million visits to the UK during Quarter 3 (July to Sept) 2023. This is an increase of 1 million visits when compared with the same period in 2022 (9.9 million).

The number of visits in Quarter 3 2023 is still lower than pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic levels, where in 2019, 11.9 million visits were made to the UK by overseas residents in Quarter 3 2019. This is a decrease of around 8% between Quarter 3 2019 and Quarter 3 2023.

Holidays were the most popular reason for overseas residents to visit the UK, with an increase of around 15% from Quarter 3 2022 (4.3 million visits) to Quarter 3 2023 (4.9 million visits). Visits to friends or relatives was the next most common reason for visiting the UK, with an increase from 3.5 million visits in Quarter 3 2022 to 3.6 million visits in Quarter 3 2023. Business trips increased from 1.4 million to 1.6 million during Quarter 3 2022 to Quarter 3 2023.

While visits are close to pre-coronavirus pandemic levels, spending is higher in Quarter 3 2023 than in the third quarter of 2019. In Quarter 3 2023, estimated spending in the UK by overseas visitors was £10.1 billion, which was an increase of around 10% from Quarter 3 2019 (£9.2 billion). This does not factor in inflation for that period.

Spending was 11% higher in Quarter 3 2023 than in Quarter 3 2022. In Quarter 3 2023, an increase in spending was seen for all areas of the world when compared with the same quarter of the previous year, except for North America. North America saw a decrease of around 13% in spending, from £2.7 billion to £2.4 billion. The largest increase was from “Other Countries” which saw a 33% rise in spending from Quarter 3 2022 to Quarter 3 2023. The change in spending for this group was driven by a 55% rise in holiday spending, from £1.1 billion to £1.7 billion.

Visits abroad by UK residents

UK residents made 28.3 million visits abroad in Quarter 3 (July to Sept) 2023. This compares with 25 million visits in the same quarter in 2022.

However, visits abroad in Quarter 3 2023 were still lower than pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic levels; down by 6% from Quarter 3 2019 (30 million). Disruptions at major airports in the UK, caused by air traffic-control issues in August 2023, could factor into this.

The largest number of visits abroad were made to Europe (23.0 million). This was an increase of 13% from the same quarter in 2022, when 20.4 million visits were made.

Holidays were the most common reason for UK residents’ visits abroad in Quarter 3 2023, accounting for 69% of all visits (19.4 million). This is a 12% increase between Quarter 3 2022 and Quarter 3 2023. The second most popular reason for travelling abroad was to visit friends or relatives, with 7.1 million visits made. Business trips were broadly consistent between Quarter 3 2022 and Quarter 3 2023 at around 1.3 million.

UK residents spent £24.5 billion during visits abroad in Quarter 3 2023. This was an increase of £2.2 billion when compared with the same period in 2022. Like overseas spending in the UK, this is also higher than pre-coronavirus pandemic levels. UK spending abroad in Quarter 3 2023 was around 12% higher than in the same quarter in 2019 (where spending was £21.9 billion).

Information provided by the Office of National Statistics