Overseas Travel And Tourism: October And November 2022 Provisional Results Visits To The UK By Overseas Residents, Visits Abroad By UK Residens

25th March 2023

Visits to the UK increased from 3.0 million in September 2022 to 3.2 million in October 2022 and remained at 3.2 million in November 2022.

Spending by overseas residents visiting the UK rose from £2.6 billion in September 2022 to £2.7 billion in October 2022; spending decreased in November 2022 to £2.1 billion.

UK residents' visits overseas fell from 8.4 million in September 2022 to 7.2 million in October 2022; visits fell further in November 2022 to 4.4 million.

Spending by UK residents overseas decreased in October and November 2022; UK residents spent £5.8 billion in October 2022 and £3.4 billion in November 2022 (down from £7.4 billion in September).

Overseas residents' visits to the UK in November 2022 (3.2 million) were higher than November 2019 (3.1 million); this is the first time that visits to, or from, the UK have been higher than the last comparable month before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

UK residents' visits overseas still lag behind comparable months prior to the pandemic; there were 7.2 million visits in October 2022 compared with 8.4 million in October 2019, and 4.4 million in November 2022 compared with 5.7 million in November 2019.

Trends in visits to the UK by overseas residents
Visits to the UK stayed at a consistent level between September 2022 and November 2022. There were 3.0 million visits in September, 3.2 million in October and 3.2 million in November.

Spending in the UK by overseas residents increased slightly in October 2022 to £2.7 billion from £2.6 billion in September 2022. Spending then fell to £2.1 billion in November 2022.

For the first time since the beginning of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, visits to the UK in November 2022 were higher than that of the last comparable month before the pandemic began. Visits to the UK in November 2022 (3.2 million) were 2% higher than in November 2019 (3.1 million).

Spending continues to be near pre-coronavirus levels in October and November 2022. Spending in October 2022 (£2.7 billion) was 3% higher than the spending in October 2019 (£2.6 billion). November 2022 (£2.1 billion) was 4% down compared with November 2019 (£2.2 billion).

Holidays have been the main reason overseas residents visited the UK since April 2022. That trend continued throughout October 2022 and November 2022, with 1.3 million visits in October (39% of the total) and 1.2 million visits in November (38% of the total).

Trends in overseas visits by UK residents
The number of UK residents' visits abroad fell between September 2022 and November 2022. There were 8.4 million visits in September, 7.2 million in October and 4.4 million in November.

When compared with pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic levels, visits abroad are still down. In October 2022, visits are down 15% on the 8.4 million made in October 2019. In November 2022, this difference is 23% from the 5.7 million visits made in November 2019.

The amount of money spent by UK residents abroad also fell from £7.4 billion in September 2022 to £5.8 billion in October 2022 and £3.4 billion in November 2022. For October 2022, this was a 1% decrease from £5.8 billion in October 2019, but for November 2022, this was a 14% decrease from £3.9 billion in November 2019.

Europe was the most popular overseas destination to visit in both October and November 2022. In October 2022, 80% of total visits (5.8 million) were to Europe and in November 2022 this was 75% (3.3 million).

Going on holiday continued to be the most common reason for visits abroad in October and November 2022, with 68% (4.9 million) of visits in October 2022 and 59% (2.6 million) in November 2022. Despite overall visits being down, the number of visits made for business trips increased from 557,000 in September 2022 to 620,000 in October 2022. This then decreased to 450,000 in November 2022.

Read the full ONS report HERE