Visits to UK fall for first time in seven years

The number of visits to the UK has fallen for the first time since 2001, the year that saw the outbreak of foot and mouth disease and the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Figures for 2008, published today in the annual ONS report Travel Trends, show that overseas residents made 31.9 million visits to the UK last year, compared with 32.8 million in 2007 - a fall of 2.7 per cent.

The decline was particularly marked during the last quarter of the year, with visits falling by 13 per cent on the same period in 2007. Business visits were particularly hard hit with an overall fall of 25 per cent between the fourth quarter 2007 and the equivalent quarter in 2008.

Residents of the United Kingdom also made fewer visits abroad during the year. In total, 69.0 million visits were made, down 0.6 per cent on 2007. As with inbound visits, the downturn was felt most strongly during the last quarter when visits abroad dropped 9.0 per cent.

Most countries saw a drop in the number of residents visiting the UK during 2008, although there were modest increases in the number of visits from France (3.6 million, up 6.8 per cent) and the Republic of Ireland (3.1 million, up 3.4 per cent).

This, combined with a sharp drop in visits from the US (3.0 million, down from 3.6 million), meant that France took first place in the table of countries whose residents made the most visits to the UK. The Irish Republic rose to second place, while the USA slipped to third.

Among other countries whose residents paid more than half a million visits to the UK, there were also increases in the number of visits from Poland (1.5 million, up 15 per cent) and Norway (0.7 million, up 13 per cent). News release: Visits to UK fall for first time in seven years Page 2

The destination of UK residents travelling overseas remained broadly the same as in previous years. Spain and France dominated the list, accounting for 36 per cent of all visits (13.8 million and 10.9 million visits respectively), followed by the USA, the Irish Republic, Italy, Germany and Portugal. Visits to many countries fell during 2008, but there were some exceptions with large increases in visits to Romania, Mexico, Egypt and Slovakia (all up 30 per cent or more).

Despite the decline in the number of visits, spending on trips both to and from the UK reached record levels during 2008. Overseas residents coming to the UK spent a total of £16.3 billion, an increase of 2.3 per cent on the 2007 figure, while spending by UK residents overseas rose 5.2 per cent to £36.8 billion.

Regionally, London remained by far the most-visited city by overseas residents, with a total of 14.8 million visits, followed by Edinburgh (1.2 million), Manchester (0.9 million), Birmingham (0.8 million) and Glasgow (0.6 million).

The report also revealed that:

- Visits to the UK were divided fairly evenly by purpose, between holidays, visiting friends and relatives, and business.
- Visits abroad by UK residents were dominated by holidays with nearly two-thirds of trips for this purpose.
- Air travel accounted for 75 per cent of visits to the UK and 81 per cent of visits overseas.
- USA residents spent the most in total while visiting the UK (£2.2 billion, or 14 per cent of all spending by overseas residents).
- Britons spent the most per day, on average, in Luxembourg (£277). This also involved one of the shortest average stays anywhere for UK residents, of only three nights.
- Overseas visitors spent the most per day, on average, in St Andrews (£147)
Residents from Belgium and the Irish Republic had the shortest stays, on average (3 nights).
- Britons travelling overseas stayed the longest, on average, in Australia and New Zealand (40 days).