UK TOURISM

STATISTICS
2019
Tourism: Supporting Key Government
Policies
With the UK poised to leave the European Union this year,
there is a very real need for the Government to support
sectors of the economy that are well positioned to provide
the country with economic growth and create employment
opportunities in the post-Brexit environment.
Tourism is one of the main sectors of the economy that is well placed to achieve
this. The UK continues to be not just one of the most popular destinations in the
world for visitors, but the World Economic Forum continues to rank the UK’s
tourism industry and infrastructure as one of the most competitive in the world.
We are therefore delighted that a Tourism Sector Deal has been agreed under the
Government’s Industrial Strategy. This is only the 10th sector deal to be announced
and highlights the Government’s increasing recognition of the economic importance
of the tourism industry and the opportunities and benefits that it can provide for the
UK economy and in supporting Government policy.
Two very important examples are regional development and soft power.
Regional Development
One of the main challenges for Government is to boost growth outside London and
the South East so as to address both the “North/South” divide and to support the
economies of rural and seaside communities which have lagged behind urban areas
in recovering from the Global Economic Crisis 10 years ago.
Tourism is one of the few industries that can directly support this objective quickly
and without substantial investment in new infrastructure. Despite the growth in city-
breaks, domestic tourism in the UK is largely composed of people in urban areas
travelling to rural and seaside destinations. The £25bn that these visitors spend
on breaks and holidays represents the single largest non-governmental transfer of
wealth to the economies of rural and seaside communities, creating 460,000 fulltime
jobs in these areas.
Soft Power
With the UK leaving the EU, one of the Government’s key objectives is to increase
the UK’s global influence. Tourism is one of the key means of achieving this. Studies
continue to show that enhancing and promoting a country’s cultural and education
offering in overseas markets is a key means of gaining greater global influence.
There strong linkages between the UK’s culture, education and tourism sectors.
Not only is heritage and culture the primary reason that people travel to the UK,
recent research by Universities UK shows that 88% of people who visit the UK for
educational purposes plan to return to the country as tourists due to the strong
affinity that they build with the country as a result of gaining a qualification.
While the Sector Deal is a significant step forward, it is very much a first step.
There is much more that can be done to boost tourism growth post Brexit. This
publication therefore provides the data to support a range of policies, from tax and
visa reform to resolving structural issues in domestic tourism funding and delivery,
that need to be addressed if we are to maximise tourism growth.

Kate Nicholls
Chair
Tourism Alliance
SECTION 1: Volume and Value of the UK Tourism Industry

1: The Value of Tourism

Value of Tourism to the UK Economy The UK Tourism Industry’s International Ranking

The UK is the seventh largest international
£145.9bn (7.2%) of UK GDP •
tourism destination ranked by visitor
ONS, 2018
numbers.
The first six destinations are France, Spain, USA, China, Italy
and Mexico.
Revenue from Tourists by Tourism Type
• The UK is the fifth largest international
tourism destination ranked by visitor
expenditure.
KEY The first four destinations are USA, Spain, France and
Inbound Thailand.
Domestic
Outbound • The UK accounts for 3.8% of global
UK Air Fares international tourism receipts.
Day Visitors
UNWTO Tourism Highlights, 2018 edition

Spend (£bn)

GVA Forecast Growth 2019

£67.8bn. 3.9% of UK GVA 7.8%

(2017 est) ONS, Tourism Satellite Accounts VisitBritain, 2019

Value of UK Tourism By Region

Day Visits % Domestic % Inbound % Total % Direct %
(£m) (£m) (£m) (£m) employment
East Midlands 2,867 5.4 1,192 6.2 527 2.7 4,586 5.0 84,926 5.0
East of England 5,042 9.5 1,570 8.1 704 3.6 7,316 7.9 135,481 7.9
London 13,964 26.3 2,984 15.5 12,330 62.3 29,278 31.8 542,185 31.8
North East 2,547 4.8 759 3.9 293 1.5 3,599 3.9 66,648 3.9
North West 6,345 12.0 2,677 13.9 1,350 6.8 10,372 11.3 192,074 11.3
South East 7,515 14.2 2,705 14.0 2,010 10.2 12,230 13.3 226,481 13.3
South West 5,862 11.1 4,338 22.5 1,130 5.7 11,330 12.3 209,815 12.3
West Midlands 3,829 7.2 1,327 6.9 837 4.2 5,993 6.5 110,981 6.5
Yorkshire 5,066 9.6 1,744 9.0 604 3.1 7,414 8.0 137,296 8.0
Total 53,037 19,296 19,785 92,118 1,705,889
Inernational Passenger Survey (IPS), GTBS, GB Day Visits Survey, 2018
 2: Inbound Tourism

Visitor Numbers and Total Spend Visitor Numbers and Total Spend by Sector
KEY
Business Leisure VFR Study Other Change

Visitors (m) Spend (£bn)

IPS 2018, Office for National Statistics

IPS 2018, Office for National Statistics

Growing and Declining Markets (Visits)
Largest Increase 2017-18 Largest Decline 2017-18
Pakistan + 47% Slovenia - 41%
Average Spend per Visit Average Length of Stay Ukraine + 43% South Cyprus - 38%

£601 7.0 nights Qatar

Croatia
+
+
37%
22%
Malta
Turkey
-
-
30%
23%
(down 3.5%) (down 3.3%) China + 16% Singapore - 22%
IPS 2018 IPS 2018
Office for National Statistics Office for National Statistics IPS 2018, Office for National Statistics

Students Top 10 Source Markets

English as a Foreign Language Visits % of all Spend % of all
(000s) visits (000s) spend
• 550,000 students come to the UK to learn English
each year USA 4,171 10 £3,010 15

• EFL students generate £1.2 billion in export earnings for France 3,266 10 £1,493 7
the UK annually and supporting over 20,000 jobs. Germany 3,249 9 £1,378 6
• EFL visitors spent £2399 per visit, four times the average Irish Republic 2,632 7 £1,113 5
expenditure of visitors to the UK
Spain 2,197 7 £999 5
• The number of EFL students visiting the UK has declined
by 23% since 2014 resulting in the loss of £570m in Netherlands 1,897 5 £934 4
export earnings. Poland 1,794 5 £890 3
Italy 1,707 5 £676 3
Foreign Students Belgium 1,175 3 £586 3
• 88% of students that study in the UK plan to return for Australia 1,043 3 £556 3
a holiday.
IPS 2018, Office for National Statistics

UK’s Share of Outbound Visitors from BRIC Markets (%)

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Brazil 2.64 3.39 3.05 2.95 3.33 3.81 2.21 2.58 2.14
Russia 0.43 0.47 0.45 0.52 0.62 0.44 0.43 0.54 0.41
India 2.86 2.50 2.27 2.25 2.21 2.07 1.90 2.35 2.00
China 0.19 0.21 0.22 0.20 0.17 0.22 0.21 0.26 0.26
IPS 2018, Office for National Statistics
3: Domestic Tourism

Visitor Numbers and Total Spend Visitor Numbers and Total Spend by Sector

KEY
Business Leisure VFR Change

Visitors (m) Spend (£bn)

GB Tourism Survey 2015, VisitEngland *Estimate GB Tourism Survey 2018, VisitEngland

Domestic Tourism by Region Visits bt Destination Type

2017 2018 2017 2018 Visits (m) Spend (£bn)
Trips Trips Change Spend Spend Change All visits 118.6 24.0
(m) (m) (£m) (£m)
Visits to
East of England 9.9 8.8 -11.1% 1,711 1,570 -8.2%
Large town / city 42% 43%
East Midlands 7.7 7.8 1.3% 1,049 1,192 13.6%
Small town 19% 15%
London 12.2 11.9 -2.5% 2,688 2,984 11.0%
Countryside / village 17% 16%
North East 3.7 4.0 8.1% 680 759 11.6%
North West 13.9 13.3 -4.3% 2,733 2,677 -2.0% Seaside / coast 23% 25%
South East 16.3 16.2 -0.6% 2,707 2,705 0.0% GBTS 2018, VisitEngland

South West 21.3 19.1 -10.3% 4,454 4,338 -2.6%

West Midlands 7.9 7.8 -1.3% 1,225 1,327 8.3%
Average Spend Average Length
Yorkshire & per Visit per Stay
the Humber 10.8 10.5 -2.8% 1,745 1,744 0.0%
Scotland
Wales
11.7
9.3
11.8
10.2
1.2%
9.7%
3,006
1,628
2,762
1,853
-8.1%
13.8%
£202.10 3.1 nights
(up 3.0%) (up 1.3%)
GBTS 2018, VisitEngland GBTS 2018, VisitEngland GBTS 2018, VisitEngland

4: Outbound Tourism

Outbound Tourism Expenditure

Product / service category Expenditure (£m)
Accommodation services for visitors 839
Food and beverage serving services 868
Railway passenger transport services 747
Road passenger transport services 1,165
Water passenger transport services 439
Air passenger transport services 17,295
Transport equipment rental services 0
Travel agencies and reservation services 1,883
Cultural activities 0
Sport and recreation activities 0
Exhibitions and conferences etc 0
Other consumption products 9,082
Total 32,318
Tourism Satellite Accounts 2016, Office for National Statistics
5: Day Visitors

Day Visitors Day Visitors 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Visits (m) Spend (£bn) Visits (m) 1826.3 1822.3 1754 1834.3 1793.4 1703.4
Spend (£bn) 62.0 61.8 61.9 63.9 62.4 63.7
All visits 1,703.4 63.8
Visits to
Large town / city 43% 56%
Small town 24% 19%
Countryside / village 23% 17%
Seaside / coast 8% 7%
GB Day Visits Survey 2018 and 2017, VisitEngland

6: Events

Current Estimated Value of Visitor Expenditure • Accompanying attendees of business delegates and
From Events exhibitors are estimated to spend an additional £7.7
Spend (£bn) billion during their stay in Britain.
Conferences and meetings 19.2 • Trade transacted and facilitated at exhibitions and
UK Exhibitions and trade fairs 11.0 business events is conservatively estimated to be worth
Global Exhibitions by UK Organisers 2.0 over £150 billion.
Incentive travel and performance improvement 1.2
Corporate hospitality and corporate events 1.2
Outdoor events 1.1
Festivals and cultural events 1.1
Music events 2.3
Sporting events 2.3
Total 41.4
Opportunities For Growth in the UK Events Sector, Business Visits and Events
Partnership, 2017

7: Tourism Economics

Price Elasticity of Tourism Job Creation

• A new Full Time Equivalent tourism job is created with
• For every 1% decrease in the cost of visiting the UK, every £58,000* increase in tourism revenue.
the UK’s inbound tourism earnings increase by 1.3%. Tourism: jobs and growth, VisitBritain / Deloitte, 2013
*adjusted for inflation since 2013
• For every 1% increase in the cost of travelling
overseas, the UK’s domestic tourism earnings
increase by 0.8%. International Competitiveness
Sensitive Tourists, BTA, 2001
• World Economic Forum’s international Travel and Tourism
Report shows that the UK is the 5th most competitive
Tourism Export Earnings tourism destination in the world but ranks 135th out of
136 countries in terms of price competitiveness due to
• In 2017 travel expenditure by non-residents visiting the taxes on aviation, accommodation, attractions and fuel.
UK totalled £ 29.8bn, accounting for 14.4% of UK service The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, WEF, 2017
sector exports and 6.5% of total UK exports.
• Tourism is the UK’s fifth largest export earner after
Chemicals, Intermediate Manufactured Goods, Financial Tourism Taxation
Services and Capital Goods.
The Pink Book, Office for National Statistics, 2018 Air Passenger Duty £3.6bn *

VAT (estimate) £16.5bn

APD bulletin Dec 2019, HMRC
7: Tourism Economics continued

UK Tourism GVA by Sector UK Tourism Deficit

Sector Spend (£bn)
Accommodation services for visitors 9.1
Food and beverage serving services 10.0
Railway passenger transport services 2.1
Road passenger transport services 0.5
Water passenger transport services 0.3
Air passenger transport services 5.1
Transport equipment rental services 0.4
Travel agencies and other reservation services 10.9
Cultural activities 2.8
Sport and recreation activities 2.6
Exhibitions and conferences etc 0.03
IPS 2018 Office for National Statistics
Other consumption products 24.5
TOTAL GVA 68.4
Tourism Satellite Account 2016, Office for National Statistics

8: Tourism Employment

• 3.3m people work in tourism-related businesses, • There are 241,000 businesses in the UK tourism
of which 1.5m are employed as a redirect result of industry
expenditure by tourists • Almost 90% of tourism and hospitality businesses
• Of the 3.3m people working in tourism-related employ fewer than 25 people.
businesses, 1.4m are fulltime employees, 1.3m are • The tourism industry has created more than 400,000
part-time employees and 0.6m are self-employed. new jobs over the last 10 years
Office for National Statistics 2019
• More people work in tourism related businesses than
manufacturing (2.9m), construction (2.4m), or transport
and storage (1.6m) • The tourism sector is a significant incubator for
Tourism Satellite Account 2016, Office for National Statistics entrepreneurs with 27,000 new businesses being
established in 2017
• 90% of employees are permanent with only 5% being
Business Demography, Office for National Statistics, 2017
casual employees
Tourism employment summaries: Characteristics of tourism industries,
Office for National Statistics, 2016 • Foreign nations comprise 24% of the workforce, including
11% from the EU.
• Tourism businesses have 39% of their staff aged under
30, compared to an average of 21% for other businesses
Tourism Employment by Sector • Over 26% of employees in the Tourism sector have GCE,
Accommodation services for visitors 275 A Level or equivalent qualifications compared to 23% for
non-tourism businesses
Food and beverage serving services 395
Employment Characteristics of Tourism Industries, Office for National
Passenger transport services 147 Statistics, 2014
Culture, sport and recreation 192
Travel Agencies 113 • Projections suggest that the sector will need to recruit an
Retail 464 additional 1.3m more staff by the end of 2024.
Skills and workforce profile - hospitality and tourism, People 1st
Tourism Satellite Account 2016, Office for National Statistics
 SECTION 2: Policy Related Statistics
Taxation Visas
• Of the 28 EU countries, the UK is one of only two that • In 2018, the UK received approximately 3m visitors from
charge the full rate of VAT on tourism accommodation (the countries needing a visitor visa to enter the UK. These
other being Denmark, which has no reduced rates of VAT). visitors:
• The average VAT rate for accommodation in the other – spent £4bn in the UK during their stay
European countries is 10.3%. – spent an average of £1250 per person per visit
• The other major European tourism destinations – France, – over twice the £529 spent by visitors from visa
Italy and Spain – all apply a reduced rate of 10% VAT on waiver countries.
accommodation – created direct employment for over 70,000 people
• The UK is one of only 12 EU countries that apply full rate in the UK.
VAT on restaurant meals. The average for the rest of the EU
is 15.1%.
• The UK’s market share of the Chinese, Indian and Russian
• Modelling using the Treasury’s own Computable General outbound tourism market has fallen by 42% since the
Equilibrium Model and research by Deloitte and others introduction of biometric visas in 2008.
shows that, over 10 years, reducing VAT to 5% would:
• A UK short stay visa costs £95, compared to around
– Improve the UK’s exports by £23bn £50 for a Schengen visa, which allows visitors access to
– Create 121,000 jobs 26 countries.
– Deliver £4.6bn to the Exchequer • A family of four from China or India have to pay a total of
£692 in APD and visa charges to travel to the UK.
Air Passenger Duty
• Visitors flying to the UK contribute £19.7bn to the UK Tourism Funding
economy in tourism expenditure (86% of the total) and • Local Authorities in England spend £59m per annum on
support over 500,000 FTE jobs in the UK tourism industry tourism development and promotion – 0.5% of their Net
• Visitors flying to the UK spend £678 per visit compared to Current Expenditure
£363 per visit by those arriving by train or ship • Since 2008/9 Local Authority Expenditure on tourism has
• Research by the World Economic Forum in 2017 shows decreased 58% (from £142m to £59m) while Net Current
that, while the UK’s aviation infrastructure is the 8th most Expenditure has decreased only 1.8% (from £113bn
competitive in the world, but the UK’s competitiveness to £111bn)
on aviation taxes and airport charges is the 3rd worst in • Since 2008/9 total Government funding for tourism through
the world. DCMS has increased 5.8% (from £56.5m to £59.8m) while
• A family of four over the age of 16 from China or India DCMS’s total allocations have increased 27.6% (from
departing the UK in economy class currently pays £312 £4.7bn to £6.0bn)
in APD. • Core funding for VisitBritain has decreased 39% since 2008
• APD revenue has increased by over 330% between 2003 – from £51m to £31m
and 2018, from £770m to £3.47bn per annum.
It is projected to reach £4bn in 2020.
• Since its introduction in 1994, APD for long-haul flights
has increased by 680% in economy class and 1,680%
in other classes of travel, while Short-haul APD has
increased by 160% in economy class and 420% for other
classes of travel.

• Research by PwC on the impact of abolishing APD showed

that this would:
– Boost UK GDP by 1.7%
– Create 61,000 extra jobs in the UK
The Economic Impact of Air Passenger Duty, PwC
The Tourism Alliance is the Members
Voice of the Tourism Industry, ABTA - The Travel Association
comprising 55 Tourism Industry Airport Operators Association
Organisations that together AIPO
represent some 200,000 businesses ALVA
of all sizes throughout the UK. ANTOR
The purpose of the Tourism Alliance Association of Group Travel Organisers
is to identify and develop policies ASAP
and strategies to raise standards and ATHE
promote quality within the industry and BACTA
work with and lobby government on Bed & Breakfast Association
all key issues relevant to the growth and British Beer & Pub Association
development of tourism is in order to British Destinations
maximise its contribution to the economy. British Educational Travel Association
British Holiday & Home Parks Association
British Marine Federation
Business Visits & Events Partnership
Camping & Caravanning Club
Caravan and Motorhome Club
Churches Visitor and Tourism Association
Coach Tourism Association
Confederation of Passenger Transport
Country Land and Business Association
Cumbria Tourism
English UK
European Holiday Home Association
European Tour Operators Association
Family Holiday Association
Go New Forest
Group Travel Business Forum
Heritage Railway Association
Heritage Alliance
Historic Houses
Holiday Home Association
Institute of Tourist Guiding
Liverpool City Region LEP
Marketing Manchester
National Caravan Council
National Coastal Tourism Academy
National Trust
Outdoor Industries Association
PASC
Premier Cottages
Resort Development Organisation
South West Tourism Alliance
The Tourism Society
Tourism For All
Tourism Management Institute
Tourism South East
UKHospitality
UKinbound
Visit Brighton
Visit Cornwall
Visit Greenwich
Contact information Visit Kent
Director: Kurt Janson Visit Wiltshire
T: +44 (0)20 3117 0664 Welcome to Yorkshire
M: +44 (0)7946 428123
Observers
Tourism Alliance Local Government Association
3 Gainsford Street
VisitBritain
London SE1 2NE
VisitEngland
E: [email protected]
W: www.tourismalliance.com