tourism market uk

Tourism Statistics for the UK: Latest Facts and Figures

Last Updated: February 9, 2024

The UK’s travel and tourism industry has long been an important part of its economy, with tourists pouring billions of pounds into it every year. In fact, in 2019, the UK had a record number of visitors, with 40.86 million people coming into the country and spending over £28 billion while there.

However, with these numbers plummeting in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the future of UK tourism is now more uncertain than ever.

In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the latest Tourism Statistics for the UK and see what trends are emerging. We’ll also look at the latest outbound and domestic tourism statistics and uncover where Brits love to go on holiday the most. So read on if you are interested to know more about tourism in the UK.

Top 10 UK Tourism Statistics

• In 2020, the UK had a total of 11.1 million inbound visits — 76% less than in 2019.
• In 2019, London was the most visited city in the UK, with nearly 21.7 million visits by international tourists.
• London Heathrow is the most used airport by international visitors, receiving over 11 million non-UK arrivals in 2019 alone.
• Spain is the most popular destination for outbound tourists from the UK, with 18.1 million visits made by UK residents in 2019.
• In 2019, UK residents made 93 million trips abroad, which dropped to 23.8 million in 2020.
• In 2020, UK residents spent a total of £13.8 billion on their trips abroad.
• In 2019, British tourists took nearly 123 million domestic holidays and only 93 million international holidays.
• London is the number one staycation destination in the UK.
• In 2020, the total contribution of tourism to the UK’s GDP was estimated at £89.6 billion.
• That same year, the travel and tourism industry in the UK generated 3.96 million jobs.

Inbound Tourism Statistics

Inbound tourism is vital to the UK economy, with visitors from overseas spending billions of pounds every year. In 2019, inbound tourism in the UK reached new heights, with a record number of visitors coming to the country.

The statistics below will show you the latest facts and figures relating to inbound tourism in the UK.

In 2020, the UK welcomed a total of 11.1 million visits from international tourists

The majority of those visits happened in the first quarter of 2020 before any travel restrictions were implemented. That is a 76% dip compared to 2019 when the UK received a staggering 40.86 million tourist visits.

The chart below gives a full overview of the number of inbound visits in the UK from 2012 to 2022.

The number of visits from international tourists to the UK is predicted to drop to 7.4 million in 2021 and rise to 21 million in 2022.

The expenditure of inbound visitors in the UK reached approximately £6.2 billion in 2020

That is a huge drop from the £28 billion spent in total by tourists in the UK in 2019.

The sharp decline of inbound visits to the United Kingdom is a direct consequence of the travel restrictions put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic. As you will see from the following statistics, inbound visits to the UK plummeted even more during 2021.

During the first three quarters of 2021, the UK had a total of 1.8 million inbound visits by air

That is a whopping 93% decrease compared to the same period in 2019. In addition, up to 1.3 million of those visits were made during the third quarter alone, which, when compared to the third quarter of 2019, is still a massive 86% decrease.

Taking holidays remains the leading reason for visiting the UK

In fact, in 2020, up to 4.4 million of all inbound visitors came to the UK for holiday purposes. That is still 74% fewer than in 2019 when there were a staggering 17 million vacationers in the UK.

The second most common reason for travelling to the UK in 2020 was visiting friends and relatives, with 3.4 million visitors, followed by business trips, accounting for 2.5 million visitors.

In 2019, the United States was the top travel market in the UK, with a total of 4.5 million trips made from the US to the UK

In addition, US residents spent approximately £4.2 million during their trips to the UK in 2019. That same year, the UK welcomed 3.5 million visitors from France, making it the second-ranked inbound travel market. Germany was ranked third with around 3.2 million visits, followed by the Irish Republic with 2.8 million, and Spain with 2.3 million visits.

Next, let’s take a look at how many tourists visit London on an annual basis.

In 2019, London was the most visited city in the UK, with almost 21.7 million visits made by international tourists

London overseas visitors far outnumber those of any other city in the country. The UK’s second and third-ranked most visited cities were Edinburgh and Manchester, each accounting for roughly 2.2 million and 1.7 million visitors, respectively.

Unfortunately, in 2020 those numbers declined significantly, with London receiving only a small fraction of the 2019 visits. The table below gives a full overview of how the coronavirus pandemic impacted tourism in London .

London Heathrow is the most used airport by international visitors in the UK

In 2019, London Heathrow received over 11 million non-UK arrivals. The other two most used airports by international visitors in the UK are London Gatwick and London Stansted.

Between July and September 2021, international travellers had around 21.5 million overnight stays in the UK

Although that is a significant increase over the first quarter of 2021, it is still well below the number of overnight stays in the UK in pre-pandemic times.

During the third quarter of 2021, inbound tourists spent a total of £1.2 billion on their trips to the UK

That is a remarkable increase compared to the first two quarters of 2021, when visitors in the UK spent only £0.25 billion and £0.39 billion, respectively. However, that figure is still way below the pre-pandemic standard. Namely, it is an 86% decrease compared to the same period in 2019 when inbound tourists spent £15.3 billion in the UK.

To conclude, although fewer tourists are visiting the UK at the moment, those who do come are still spending money while they’re here. That is good news for the economy, and it’s hoped that as travel restrictions ease and more people are able to travel again, we’ll see these numbers start to increase.

Outbound Tourism Statistics

Outbound tourism is defined as the travel of residents from their country of residence to another country for the purpose of leisure, recreation, or business.

There are many reasons people might choose to go on an outbound trip. Some might want to experience a different culture or see some of the world’s famous landmarks. Others might go on business trips or visit friends and relatives who live in another country.

Whatever the reason for travel, outbound tourism has a massive impact on the economy. In 2019, UK residents made over 93.1 million outbound visits, generating an estimated £62.3 billion in spending.

Keep on reading for the latest facts and figures on outbound tourism from the UK, including the most popular destination countries and the amount of money spent by UK tourists abroad.

Spain is the most popular destination for outbound tourists from the UK

In 2019, there were 18.1 million visits made to Spain by UK residents, followed by France, with 10.35 million visits, and Italy with almost half that, at 5.11 million visitors. The USA was the most visited country outside of Europe and the fourth most visited destination by UK residents overall, with 4.8 million UK residents travelling there in 2019.

These are the top 10 countries that Brits visited the most in 2019.

In 2020, the number of trips abroad made by UK residents stood at 23.8 million

By comparison, in 2019, the number of trips abroad from the UK reached 93 million. That is a remarkable 73% decline in the period of just a year. The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic is the main reason for the decrease in the number of outbound visits in 2020 compared to previous years.

When looking at outbound tourism statistics, it’s also important to consider the reasons for travel.

The most common reason UK residents travel abroad is for holidays and leisure, with over 59 million visits made for that purpose in 2019

However, in 2020, that figure dropped to 14 million. Visiting friends and relatives was the second most common purpose for travelling outside the UK in 2019, accounting for roughly 23 million visits.

Similarly, that figure dropped to only 7 million in 2020.

In line with the decrease of outbound visits, the amount of money spent by UK residents while abroad plummeted in 2020 as well.

In 2020, UK residents spent a total of £13.8 billion on their trips abroad

Compared to the total amount spent on trips abroad in 2019, which stood at £62.3 billion, that is also a remarkable fall.

While the coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating effect on the tourism industry, there are signs that outbound travel from the UK is starting to pick up again.

In the third quarter of 2021 (July to September), there were 6.1 million visits made by UK residents to foreign countries

In addition, the vast majority of those visits, or 5.4 million, were made to Europe.

That is a substantial increase compared to the number of outbound visits made during the second quarter of 2021 (April to June), which stood at only 1 million. However, it should also be noted that the number of outbound visits in the third quarter of 2021 is still well below the levels seen at the same period in previous years.

In the third quarter of 2021, the number of nights spent on outbound visits reached around 103 million.

The number of overnight stays of UK residents abroad paints a similar picture, increasing substantially over the previous quarter but remaining well-below pre-pandemic levels.

Overall, it is expected that the number of outbound trips made by UK residents will start to increase again in 2022, as the pandemic comes to an end and travel restrictions are lifted. Still, it is improbable that we will see the same numbers we saw before the coronavirus outbreak anytime soon.

Domestic Holiday Statistics

While it is widely believed that the coronavirus pandemic has caused a so-called “staycation boom”, the truth is that Brits have always preferred vacationing within their own country rather than abroad.

In fact, in 2019, domestic tourism far outweighed inbound tourism , with British tourists taking nearly 123 million domestic holidays and only 93 million international holidays. That proves that the Brits have always been a staycation nation.

Read on for more domestic travel statistics.

In 2019, over 60 million of the total number of domestic trips in the UK were taken for vacation purposes

That same year, vacationing was the most common reason for travelling in the UK , followed by visiting friends or relatives and taking a business trip.

Additionally, British tourists preferred visiting cities and large towns over the countryside when taking day trips in the UK.

In 2019, British tourists took approximately 2.72 billion day trips for leisure activities within Great Britain 

Of those, around 1.66 billion fall within the tourism day trips category, defined as visits that last more than three hours to destinations other than where the visitor lives and do not visit regularly.

In July 2020, Google UK searches for “staycation” increased by over 500% compared to that same period a year before

That is a good indication that the pandemic has caused a surge in UK domestic travel . In addition, googling for terms such as “uk staycation” and “glamping holidays uk” increased by over 400%, further proving the growing interest of the UK population to vacation in their own country.

In 2020, domestic tourist spending in the UK amounted to £34 billion

That is a significant decrease over 2019 when domestic tourist spending peaked at £100.08 billion. Moreover, the average spending on domestic summer holidays taken by Brits in the UK has also decreased remarkably from 2019 to 2020.

In 2021, it was estimated that Brits would spend an average of £ 770 on domestic summer holidays

By comparison, in 2019, the average expenditure per person amounted to £874. These figures suggest that, aside from disrupting inbound and outbound tourism in the UK , the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has also had a significant impact on domestic tourism.

London is the number one staycation destination in the UK

A survey conducted by holidaycottages.co.uk suggests that London was the most popular staycation spot in the UK in 2020. The capital received more visits than the popular beach destinations Cornwall and Devon, which both shared the second spot.

Edinburgh and Cumbria and the Lake District round up the top five domestic holiday locations for British tourists. 

How Does Tourism Contribute to the UK Economy?

Tourism is a key driver of the UK economy, supporting millions of jobs and generating billions of pounds in revenue every year. In 2019, the total contribution of tourism to the UK’s gross domestic product was estimated to be nearly £238 billion.

Check out the statistics below to gain some more insight into how the travel and tourism industry contributes to the UK economy.

Tourism in England generated £ 100.08 billion and supported 2.5 million jobs in 2019 alone

In fact, England tourism makes up over 80% of the UK’s tourism and visitor economy. Domestic day trips contribute the most to that amount, generating £56.5 billion. Inbound trips come second, with £24.8, followed by domestic overnight trips, which account for £19.5 billion of the total amount spent on tourism in England.

If you are interested in how tourism spending in England is spread across the country, take a look at the following statistic.

The majority of tourist spending takes place in London

In 2019, tourists in London spent a total of £33.2 billion, which is more than the next two regions combined. The South East came in second, with £13.1 billion in tourist spending, and the North East third, with £2.27 billion.

The table below gives a full overview of how tourist spending in England is spread across the country.

In 2020, the travel and tourism industry in the UK generated 3.96 million jobs

That is a substantial decrease compared to the 2019 figure of 4.27 million jobs. Again, the decrease is directly related to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting travel restrictions.

Take a look at how the travel and tourism industry has contributed to employment in the UK over the last few years.

The majority of jobs in the UK tourism industry are in food and beverage serving activities, with jobs in this sector reaching about 1.2 million in 2019. The next largest sector is sport and recreation activities, accounting for 482 thousand jobs in the tourism industry in 2019.

In 2020, the total contribution of tourism to UK GDP was estimated at £89.6 billion

That is a 62% decrease over the previous year when the total contribution of tourism to GDP in the UK peaked at £237.6 billion.

See the chart below for a full overview of how the travel and tourism industry has contributed to the UK’s GDP over the years.

Finally, let’s take a look at the latest travel and tourism market revenue statistics in the UK.

In 2021, the travel and tourism market revenue in the UK reached around 18.2 billion dollars

That is a slight increase from the year before and a sign that the UK tourism industry is beginning to recover from the effects of the pandemic.

While the coronavirus pandemic will undeniably continue to pose a serious threat to the tourism sector in the UK, some of these facts and figures suggest that the industry is slowly beginning to bounce back.

In conclusion, we can see that the pandemic has had devastating effects on the industry. However, the latest figures show that things are finally looking up for UK tourism, as people are starting to feel more comfortable travelling again.

It will undoubtedly take some time for UK tourism to return to its pre-pandemic levels, but the latest statistics are undoubtedly encouraging.

What do you think about these latest Tourism Statistics for the UK ? Are you surprised by any of them? Let us know in the comments below!

The most common country of origin for visitors to the UK is the USA, with 4.5 million visitors in 2019, followed by France, with 3.5 million visitors, and Germany, with 3.2 million visitors.

The tourism industry is a significant contributor to the British economy, supporting millions of jobs and generating billions of pounds in revenue every year. The combined economic impact of tourism was estimated at £257.9 billion in 2019.

In 2019, tourism accounted for around 10.9% of the UK economy.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, the UK tourism industry has taken a significant hit. Inbound and outbound tourism have both been affected, with a significant decrease in the number of visitors to and from the UK. 

The contribution of tourism to the UK economy has also decreased and was estimated at £127 billion in 2020, compared to £257.89 billion in 2019. Tourism continues to be a significant contributor to the British economy, but the pandemic has had a profound effect on the industry.

• visitbritain.org
• cityoflondon.gov.uk

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Abta trends reports, travel law today, abta holiday habits reports, unlocking travel’s potential: the importance of uk-eu mobility for jobs and growth, international travel: powering the uk economy, the climate action guidebook, tourism for good, travelling together - the value of uk outbound tourism to europe, securing the future, value tourism, driving growth: the economic value of outbound travel, making a success of brexit for travel and tourism, what brexit might mean for uk travel, a manifesto for jobs and growth in tourism, tourism and aviation, understanding the travel and tourism labour market, brexit – getting it right for the traveller, pre-notification guidance for supporting passengers with a disability or reduced mobility, also in this section.

A Manifesto for Travel and Tourism ABTA Trends Reports ABTA Holiday Habits Reports Travel Law Today Unlocking Travel’s Potential: The importance of UK-EU mobility for jobs and gro… International Travel: Powering the UK economy The Climate Action Guidebook Tourism for Good Travelling Together - The value of UK outbound tourism to Europe Securing the future Making a success of Brexit for travel and tourism What Brexit might mean for UK Travel A manifesto for jobs and growth in tourism Driving growth: The economic value of outbound travel Tourism and aviation Understanding the travel and tourism labour market Brexit – getting it right for the traveller Pre-notification guidance for supporting passengers with a disability or reduce…

United Kingdom (UK) Travel and Tourism Market Summary, Competitive Analysis and Forecast to 2027

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Travel & Tourism in the United Kingdom industry profile provides top-line qualitative and quantitative summary information including: market share, market size (value and volume 2017-22, and forecast to 2027). The profile also contains descriptions of the leading players including key financial metrics and analysis of competitive pressures within the market.

Key Highlights

– The growth of the industry is attributed to rising leisure and business tourism, growth in the hotel and motel industry, an increasing number of global events attracting large visitors, boosting infrastructure development, easing mobility, and emerging adventure tourists. For instance, according to GlobalData, the proportion of travel and tourism in the GDP of the UK increased to 3.18% in 2022 from 2.23% in the previous year.

– Add weight to presentations and pitches by understanding the future growth prospects of the United Kingdom travel & tourism market with five year forecasts by both value and volume

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Figure 10: Drivers of degree of rivalry in the travel & tourism industry in the United Kingdom, 2022

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Travel & Tourism Sector Now Worth More Than Quarter of a Trillion Sterling Says WTTC

Travel & Tourism back on its feet and set to exceed 2019 Over 1.1MN more Travel & Tourism jobs in the UK last year – 1 in 9 of all jobs International visitor spend up more than 300%  

London, UK: The World Travel & Tourism Council’s ( WTTC ) 2023 Economic Impact Research (EIR) today reveals the UK Travel & Tourism sector is forecast to exceed the 2019 peak this year. The sector is set to contribute £252.4BN to the UK economy this year, surpassing the 2019 pre-pandemic high of £248.5BN. WTTC is also forecasting that the sector will create almost 380,000 jobs this year, recovering almost all of the jobs lost due to the COVID 19 pandemic to reach more than 4MN, with around one in nine workers in the UK, in the Travel & Tourism sector. International visitor spend to the UK is forecast to reach £26.18BN, just 6% behind the 2019 peak of £38.6BN. A look back on last year Last year, the sector’s GDP contribution grew by 65% to reach more than £237BN, representing 9.5% of the economy, edging closer to the 2019 high of 9.9% of the economy. Last year the sector also created 1.1MN more jobs from the previous year to reach 3.6MN jobs nationally – one in 10 jobs across the UK. The sector has now recovered 1.5MN of the 1.7MN jobs lost during the pandemic. Last year also saw the return of international travellers heading to the UK with spending from overseas visitors growing over 300% from 2021 to reach almost £30BN. Domestic visitor spend fully recovered in 2022 to match the pre-pandemic high of £165BN, showing that whilst the UK has taken longer to attract high spending overseas visitors, the staycation is here to stay. Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “Travel & Tourism creates one in every ten jobs in the UK. It contributes over £250bn a year to the UK economy. “Whilst our forecasts show the sector will reach a quarter of a trillion pounds this year, and predicts international visitor spend will recover by early next year, the UK Government should be aiming higher. “The recovery and long-term growth of the sector is at risk with the self-axing of  VAT-free shopping for international tourists. We will continue to see high-value tourists choosing France and Italy over the UK and taking with them economic value and jobs.” What does the next decade look like? The global tourism body is forecasting that the sector will grow its GDP contribution to almost £315BN by 2033, nearly 11% of the UK economy and will employ over 5MN people across the country, with one in seven Brits working in the sector. Europe In 2022, the European Travel & Tourism sector contributed €1.9TN to the regional economy, just 7% below the 2019 peak. WTTC forecasts the region’s GDP contribution from the sector will reach more than €2TN in 2023 - within touching distance of the 2019 highpoint. The sector employed almost 35MN people across the region in 2022, an increase of 2.9MN from the previous year but still 3.2MN behind pre-pandemic levels. WTTC forecasts the sector will fully recover the jobs lost during the pandemic by the end of 2024. For more information, please visit WTTC Research Hub Download Press Release

New Report Shows How Travel & Tourism in Africa Could Boost Continent’s Economy by US$168BN Over the Next 10 Years

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What is the demand for outbound tourism on the European market?

Global outbound tourism continues to recover well, reaching 84% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of July 2023. Germany and the UK are the largest European markets, and demand for outbound travel from these markets is high. Africa and Asia are the most visited regions by Europeans, and Turkey is the most popular destination by some margin. Europeans want to enjoy a wide variety of travel experiences. These include culture, wellness, food tourism, nature tourism and ecotourism, walking and hiking, and community-based tourism (CBT). In developing destinations, Europeans often look for adventure tourism.

Contents of this page

• What makes Europe an interesting market to target?
• Which European markets offer the most opportunities for tourism suppliers in developing countries?
• Which tourism products from developing countries are most in demand in European markets?

1. What makes Europe an interesting market to target?

Europe is an interesting market to target because it is the largest outbound travel market. As the tourism sector continues its recovery, Europe and the Middle East are bouncing back most quickly. The industry expectation is that tourism will recover to 2019 levels by the end of 2024 or 2025, although this will vary from region to region. Challenges to the sector’s recovery include the state of the global economy and the impact of economic developments on personal travel budgets, as well as the ongoing war in Ukraine, which continues to create uncertainty. Longer term, sustainability remains a challenge as the sector strives to meet global net-zero commitments by 2050.

Current status of worldwide tourism after the pandemic

Tourism is proving to be a highly resilient global industry. The sector is on track for a full recovery, with arrivals reaching 84% of pre-pandemic levels between January and July 2023 and 90% in July 2023. Around 700 million tourists travelled internationally between January and July 2023. This is roughly 43% more than in the same months in 2022.

Table 1: Worldwide tourism arrivals in 2022 and Q1-Q2 2023 compared to 2019

Source: UNWTO

• The Middle East witnessed the strongest performance between January and July 2023. Arrivals were 20.3% higher than those reported for the same period in 2019. In Q1 2023, the region already saw a 15% increase in arrivals compared to the same quarter in 2019, making it the first to achieve pre-pandemic numbers in a full quarter.
• Arrivals to Europe reached 91% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of July 2023. Recovery was mostly driven by strong intra-regional demand: Europeans preferred to visit neighbouring European countries over long-haul destinations. The Southern Mediterranean region exceeded pre-pandemic levels by 1%.
• Africa also performed strongly, witnessing a return to 92% of pre-pandemic levels. The North Africa subregion in particular exceeded pre-pandemic levels in the first half of 2023 (+8%).
• The Central America subregion also performed strongly in the first seven months of 2023, exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 1.7%. The region was quicker to open up to international tourism following the pandemic, which stimulated faster growth.
• South America recovered to 89% of pre-pandemic levels, led by strong performers such as Colombia, where arrivals are already exceeding 2019 levels.
• Asia was the slowest growing region, recovering to 61% of pre-pandemic levels. Many countries in this region opened up more slowly – China did not reopen its borders to international tourism until March 2023. South Asia, however, enjoyed a stronger recovery (93%) than other Asian subregions.

By destination, several countries exceeded arrivals recorded between January and July 2019, with some even enjoying double-digit growth. Many of these high performers were European countries, including Albania (56%), Andorra (31%), Armenia (31%), Liechtenstein (19%), Serbia (17%), Montenegro (14%) and Iceland (13%). Outside Europe, many developing destinations also saw unprecedented growth in the first quarter of 2023. Arrivals in these countries were much higher than in 2019, as can be seen in the table below.

Figures from the International Air Transport Association also show a strong recovery post-pandemic. By the end of May 2023, global air traffic revenues had recovered to 96% of pre-pandemic levels . Passenger numbers were back at 88%.

Future projections and challenges

The state of global tourism mid-2023 is cause for optimism, and current projections indicate that recovery will continue. International tourism is expected to remain on track to recover to between 80% and 95% of pre-pandemic levels, depending on the region. There is also growing confidence that international tourism will fully recover – to pre-pandemic levels – by the end of 2024. However, this will also vary from region to region.

In October 2023, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted that the global economy would grow by 3% in 2023 , an increase of 0.2%. Growth is expected to be driven partly by increased travel after the pandemic, as well as by a strong jobs market and services sector. Still, challenges to this growth remain.

Downturns or slow growth in some of the world’s largest economies, including the US, Europe and China, may have a negative impact on tourism performance at a macro level. At a more local level, there are high consumer prices, high inflation and high interest rates, which continue to dent consumer confidence.

Driven by the war in Ukraine, which has pushed up prices, the cost-of-living crisis has affected many countries, including developed nations. The soaring costs of food and energy, along with high inflation rates, are negatively affecting consumer budgets. Other factors that are limiting growth are travel disruptions caused by staff shortages and industry disputes in the travel and transportation sector. These continue to play a role in several destinations.

Besides the war in Ukraine, there are other geopolitical tensions as well. The relationship between NATO and Russia is strained, for instance, as is the one between the US and China. These tensions could also threaten the recovery of the tourism industry. Safety and security are becoming more and more important as tourists actively assess any potential threats to their own personal safety while travelling.

• Stay up to date on global, regional and national issues that might have an impact on your local tourism sector. Having a good understanding of these issues will help you reassure your buyers if they have concerns. Be sure to take appropriate action to address issues if necessary.
• Use the CBI study How to manage risks in tourism to keep your risk management policy up to date. Although the pandemic is officially over, other risks remain.

Sustainability requirements

At a macro level, switching to sustainable business practices to fight climate change has never been more important. Net-zero targets have been adopted by 97 countries , including the EU’s 27 member states and the UK. At a micro level, tourists are increasingly concerned about their negative impact on the planet, people and places. Europeans are becoming more eco-conscious and expect tourism businesses to be sustainable. They also want to see evidence that their actions are not damaging the places they visit.

The EU Green Deal was launched in 2019 and involves a series of sustainability measures. The goal of these measures is to help Europe become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. This will have an impact on European tour operators, who will have to meet certain sustainability standards. These standards will also apply to their partners, including local tour operators.

• To find out how to make your business sustainable, read the CBI study How to be a sustainable tourism business .

Analysis of outbound tourism volumes from Europe

Europe is the largest source market for outbound tourism, making it an interesting region to target. In 2019, there were 743.9 million international tourist arrivals from Europe (UNWTO). These accounted for just over one half (51%) of global outbound tourism (1.465 billion international arrivals).

By 2022, the share of international arrivals from Europe had risen to 62% of global outbound tourism, reaching 595 million (80% of the 2019 level). This share may decrease again as tourism returns to normal levels. Still, it remains a good indicator of the strength of the European market. Air passenger traffic also shows that Europe is recovering well from the pandemic. By Q3 2022, it had already recovered to 86% of the 2019 level.

Source: Eurostat

An analysis of travel data reveals that Europeans predominantly visit European destinations. Of 1.1 billion trips taken by European nationals in 2019, 96.3% were to European countries, according to Eurostat. This means that 33.8 million trips were taken to destinations outside Europe. These figures are not surprising. Most Europeans prefer short-haul destinations, and there are many neighbouring countries with excellent tourist attractions that are easily accessible and familiar to European nationals.

But many Europeans also like to explore the rest of the world. Before the pandemic, demand for travel to developing destinations was increasing, and exciting experiences, transformative travel and nature-based travel were becoming more and more popular. This means that there are lots of opportunities for local tour operators to reach this large outbound tourism market.

Asia and Africa are the most popular destinations for trips outside Europe, accounting for 44.3% and 35.1% of trips in 2019 respectively. Central and South America accounted for 16.2% of trips.

The most popular destinations for Europeans have remained the same for many years. Turkey, Egypt, Thailand and Morocco are the countries with the highest number of visitors from the key source markets. Turkey, Egypt and Morocco are medium-haul destinations. They are relatively easily accessible by Europeans from all over the continent and are well served by air, including by low cost carriers (LCCs). These destinations appeal to all kinds of visitors, from budget to luxury tourists.

Thailand is a long-haul destination, but it has drawn European nationals for many years. It offers world-class attractions and extraordinary natural environments, and has a reputation as a good value destination. Like Turkey, Egypt and Morocco, it also has a favourable, warm climate that appeals to Europeans.

In 2019, 33.5 million Europeans travelled to Turkey, making it the top destination by a wide margin. Egypt was the second most visited destination (8.4 million), followed by Thailand (7 million). Turkey was also quicker to recover after the pandemic, welcoming a significant number of visitors in both 2020 and 2021.

Further analysis of arrivals to top developing destinations from key source markets shows that tourists from different European countries prefer different destinations. For instance, the table below shows that in 2019:

• The top destinations for German holidaymakers were Turkey (5 million arrivals) and Egypt (1.7 million).
• British tourists preferred Turkey (2.5 million) and Thailand (1 million).
• French tourists mostly travelled to Morocco (2 million) and Turkey (0.9 million).
• Spanish tourists also preferred Morocco (0.9 million), as well as Mexico (0.4 million).

Language is clearly a factor when it comes to these preferences. Morocco has a high proportion of French speakers, while the national language of Mexico is Spanish. These factors are more fully explored in the section below, Which European markets offer the most opportunities for tourism suppliers in developing countries ?

Analysis of global and European value of tourism

International tourism expenditure was €1,335 billion in 2019 . After collapsing to roughly a third of the 2019 level in 2020, by 2022 expenditure had recovered to €979 billion, 69% of the pre-pandemic level. Europe accounted for the largest share of global spending in 2022, at 53%.

European countries are big spenders when it comes to outbound tourism. There are six major European markets in the top 15 countries by outbound expenditure, and Germany, the UK and France are the top spending markets after the US and China. Moreover, tourists from Germany, the UK and France spent almost as much in 2022 as they did in 2019, which shows that these markets are on track to make a full recovery.

Table 2: International tourism expenditure by top source markets, 2019 and 2022

Source: UNWTO; *ONS

Outside the top 15, Switzerland, Belgium and Norway are the biggest European outbound tourism spenders, making them interesting markets to target.

• Continue to monitor tourism recovery trends and patterns in your target markets. Google Trends and Looker Studio (previously Data Studio) have a range of free online tools for this. Google Trends shows the popularity of top Google search queries, while Looker Studio creates graphs, charts and tables to help visualise this data. CBI has created several Data Studio Dashboards to help you understand demand and recovery in the biggest outbound markets.
• Read the study How to forecast tourism demand with Google Trends & Data Studio? for more information, and watch the video on how to use the dashboard .

2. Which European markets offer the most opportunities for tourism suppliers in developing countries?

The European markets that offer the most opportunities for tourism suppliers in developing countries are Germany, the UK, Italy, France, the Netherlands and Spain. These are the largest outbound overnight tourism markets from Europe. Please note that the UK figures in the chart below also include day visitors.

Sources: UNWTO; OECD (Germany, 2021); ONS (UK)

Research conducted by CBI in 2022 indicates that these source markets have a high preference for travel to developing countries. It is also interesting to note that there was a greater intention to travel to developing countries in the next 12 months, particularly amongst British, Spanish, Italian and French nationals.

Table 3: Europeans’ travel plans in the next 12 months, 2022

Source: CBI

Germany has a population of 83 million, the largest of any European country. It also has the largest economy in Europe and the fourth largest in the world. Germans enjoy a high standard of living. Like most of Europe at the beginning of 2023, Germany was affected by high energy costs as a result of the war in Ukraine, and by rising inflation. These factors led to low consumer confidence, which affected consumer spending.

The German economy is strong, but there are still uncertainties about economic growth, consumer confidence and the longer-term outlook. (It should be noted that these uncertainties are not unique to Germany, but also exist in other European countries.) In September 2023, it was reported that the German economy had stagnated in Q2 2023 and was forecast to shrink by 0.4% for the year. Inflation is expected to fall to 6.4% in 2023 and to 2.8% in 2024. Looking ahead, the German economy is forecast to grow by 1.1% in 2024.

German outbound travel market

Germany is Europe’s largest outbound travel market. In 2019, German nationals made 99.5 million overnight trips. The market is also predicted to grow over the next 10 years. In 2022, Germany’s outbound tourism market was valued at US$95.3 billion , and it is projected to grow to US$241.4 billion by 2032. This represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.7% during the forecast period. Germans are keen travellers and Germany is likely to be one of the first European outbound tourism markets to recover fully from the pandemic.

In 2022, Reise Analyse reported that German nationals took 67.1 million holiday trips of 5+ nights . Of these trips, 73% were to international destinations (49.0 million), only slightly less than in 2019. 2022 was a record year for holiday travel expenditure, with German tourists spending €80.1 billion, €7 billion more than in 2019.

Figure 7: Volume of German holiday travel in 2022

Source: Reise Analyse

Germans like to travel to a variety of destinations, both domestically (27% of all trips) and internationally (73%). Europe is the top destination for German tourists (57%); long-haul destinations account for just 6%. Turkey is the most popular developing destination for German tourists, representing 7.9% of all outbound trips in 2022, a 1.6% increase on 2021. Turkey is conveniently located and well served by a range of scheduled, charter and LCC flights.

Egypt, Thailand, Morocco and South Africa are also popular with German tourists, although German arrivals to these destinations have not fully recovered yet. Before and (to some extent) after the pandemic, other popular destinations for German tourists have included Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Namibia. German is still spoken in in certain areas of Namibia, which adds to its appeal.

German travel behaviour

According to Reise Analyse, the average length of stay in 2022 was 12.6 days, slightly longer than in 2019 (12.4 days). Average spending per trip also increased, from €1,032 in 2019 to €1,194 in 2022. Additional research found that German tourists spent more than one third of their budget on accommodation (35.6%), more than any of the other source markets. This was followed by flights and other transport (23.9%). Activities accounted for 12.8% of German budgets, more than any other source market except France.

Germans like to book package holidays, more than other European tourists. In the past, they preferred to book directly with travel agents. However, they are increasingly booking their holidays online (49.6%, an increase of 5.6% percentage points). At the same time, face-to-face bookings are falling (36.1%, a decrease of 2.9% percentage points).

German characteristics and travel motivations

Germans are particularly motivated by a desire to experience nature. They enjoy beautiful scenery and wildlife, and going to the beach is a popular activity. They also like to stay active – walking/hiking and cycling are important pastimes. Culture is important to them as well, and visiting cities, shopping and enjoying local food and wine are key activities that appeal to German tourists.

Like many Europeans, German tourists care about sustainability, and they are increasingly looking to minimise their travel impact. Research conducted by the EU in 2021 found that amongst German tourists:

• 54% would choose to consume locally sourced products while on holiday.
• 47% would be prepared to pay to protect the natural environment.
• 45% planned to reduce waste while on holiday.
• 43% would travel to less visited destinations.

United Kingdom

The UK has a large population of 67.3 million, as well as the second largest European economy. Because the British economy is largely service-driven, it contracted more sharply during the pandemic. Although GDP grew by 4% in 2022, it has fallen since then, and the economy is expected to be weak in 2023 and 2024 . Inflation and interest rates remain higher than in many other European countries. This directly contributes to the current cost-of-living crisis, which in turn has a negative impact on consumer confidence.

British outbound travel market

The UK is the second largest outbound tourism market in Europe, and British tourists made more than 93 million outbound trips in 2019. Since the end of the pandemic, demand for travel has been very high. In 2022, British nationals took 71 million trips, 76% of the 2019 level. It is most likely that outbound tourism from the UK will recover in 2024 or later, depending on the state of the economy and the spending power of British tourists. An optimistic projection from 2022 suggested that outbound tourism would reach 86.9 million trips by 2024 .

The future outlook for outbound tourism from the UK is positive, despite economic difficulties. The UK’s outbound travel market was estimated to be worth US$76.7 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach US$175.2 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 8.6% during the forecast period. However, continued economic uncertainties may affect tourism’s recovery. Affordability is now a major criterion for British tourists in deciding where to go on holiday. British tourists spent £62.3 billion abroad in 2019, and £58.5 billion in 2022 (94% of the 2019 level).

Britons are very keen tourists, and they travel to a diverse range of countries. Compared to the other key source markets, British tourists are most likely to visit developing destinations. Turkey has consistently been the most popular long-haul destination for British tourists for many years, followed by India. India and many African countries like Kenya and Tanzania are traditionally popular destinations for UK nationals, owing to historical ties.

The table below clearly shows that UK arrivals to developing destinations are beginning to recover. In 2022, arrivals to Turkey, Mexico, Nigeria and Egypt surpassed those in 2019, showing robust demand for overseas tourism from the UK.

Source: ONS

British travel behaviour

In 2022, British tourists stayed for an average of 8.7 nights while on holiday, 6.9 nights when travelling for business and 17.1 nights when visiting friends or relatives. In 2019, the average spend per holiday trip was £739, compared to £697 per business trip. By 2022, average expenditure had risen to £887 for a holiday trip and £1,070 for a business trip – an increase of 20% and 46% respectively.

Britons spend almost a third of their travel budget on flights and transport, over a quarter (28.3%) on accommodation and almost a fifth (19.8%) on food and drink. Tourists from the UK spend the least on accommodation compared to other source markets.

A 2022 study found that online travel agencies (OTAs) were the preferred booking method for British tourists (39%), followed by booking accommodation and flights separately (26%). Tour operator bookings accounted for 16%.

British characteristics and travel motivations

Travel is important to UK nationals and they are experienced overseas tourists. Visiting other countries allows them to escape their daily routine, recharge and have new experiences. While they like immersive experiences, hygiene, accessibility, convenience and safety are still important to them. British tourists also like to take part in activities, which is one of the top factors influencing their final decision. Common activities include visiting natural attractions and wildlife watching.

In 2023, Mintel conducted a study on British holiday intentions in the next 12 months. It found that:

• A summer beach holiday was the most popular planned holiday (47%).
• City breaks were the second most popular (45%).
• 35% were planning a family holiday.
• 23% intended to go on a cultural and historical sightseeing holiday.

British tourists are very sustainability minded. In a recent survey, 86% of British respondents stated that sustainability was important to them . Amongst the 18-24 age group, this figure rises to 95%; in the 65+ age group, it is 75%. Other research revealed that 32% of British travellers avoid flying altogether on account of environmental concerns, and 62% would use more sustainable forms of transport (such as trains) if they were cheaper. Busy destinations are avoided by 59%, who are more interested in travelling to lesser-known places.

All in all, sustainable destinations are more likely to attract British tourists.

Italy has a population of 60.2 million, the fifth largest in Europe. Its economy – the eighth largest in the world – grew by 3.9% in 2022, driven by domestic demand. This growth is expected to slow down in 2023, however, as a result of high inflation. Most Italians are well educated and enjoy a high standard of living. They tend to speak English to a good level, but appreciate information being made available in Italian.

Italian outbound travel market

Italian tourists made 34.7 million outbound trips in 2019. In 2021, they made 12.4 million outbound trips; this figure rose to 25.1 million in 2022, reaching around 72% of the 2019 level. By the end of May 2023, outbound travel was at 88% compared to 2022, suggesting that recovery in Italy may be slower than in other European countries. Some forecasters estimate that Italian tourism will not fully recover from the pandemic until 2025 , and business travel until 2027.

According to the Banco d’Italia, outbound tourists spent €26.0 billion in 2022 , just short of the €27.1 billion spent in 2019 (96%).

Domestic travel is very popular in Italy; outbound travel accounts for just 24% of tourism departures. Egypt, Turkey and Morocco are the most popular outbound developing destinations for Italian tourists. There was notable growth in departures to Turkey and Mexico in 2021.

Destinations popular with Italian tourists before the pandemic included Madagascar, Indonesia, Jordan, Vietnam and South Africa.

Italian travel behaviour

The average length of stay of Italian tourists has been increasing. In 2019, the average length of stay while on holiday was 8.3 days; by 2021, this had risen to 12.9 days. It is likely that Italians were keen to make the most of their travel time after the pandemic and opted for longer stays. The average spend per trip in 2022 was €909.63, a 16% increase from 2019 (€780.97). This could be the result of the increased length of stay.

Italians spend the largest share of their travel budget on accommodation and flights (30.6% and 27.1% respectively). Around 12.8% is spent on activities, the highest amongst the source markets along with France and Germany.

Italian tourists like to book trips well in advance, sometimes up to 11 months. They value recommendations from friends and family very highly (52%) and often use review sites (41%). In general, they like to do a lot of online research before making a decision. Italians are more likely to book their own travel arrangements using online platforms compared to other European countries and tend not to book package holidays.

Italians are tech savvy and spend a lot of time on social media.

Italian characteristics and travel motivations

Italians look for active, cultural holidays and prefer exploration to relaxation. They enjoy nature and like to spend time in the great outdoors, visiting natural attractions and experiencing wildlife. They are also very outgoing and like to eat out and socialise.

Italian tourists have the following characteristics:

• Older, wealthier Italians will travel at any time of the year.
• Italians like guided tours with Italian-speaking guides.
• Security, high-quality accommodation and good food are important to them.
• More than a quarter of Italians like to travel off-season.

While keen on sustainability, Italians are less sustainably minded than other European nations when they travel. However, as a nation of ‘foodies’, they do like to consume locally sourced produce while on holiday (42%). They also prefer to travel outside the main tourist season (27%), offering good opportunities to attract Italians in the low and shoulder seasons.

France has a population of 67.6 million people, the third largest in Europe. The French enjoy a high standard of living and above average wages within the European region. France’s economy is the third largest in Europe, after Germany and the UK. Despite the cost-of-living crisis and high inflation, which are affecting most countries in Europe, the French economy is expected to grow by 1% in 2023 and 1.2% in 2024 .

French outbound travel market

The French like to travel, making 30.4 million outbound trips in 2019 and 13.1 million in 2021. France’s outbound tourism expenditure is the third highest in Europe, after Germany and the UK, and in 2019 French tourists spent €56.7 billion overseas. The domestic leisure market proved resilient during the pandemic, and outbound travel is expected to recover in 2024 .

The outbound travel market is estimated at US$33.9 billion and projected to reach US$51.6 billion by 2032. This represents a CAGR of 4.3%.

Outside Europe, Africa is the most popular continent for French nationals to travel to. In 2019, Morocco was the most popular destination for French tourists, followed by Tunisia and Turkey. The table below shows that French tourism to most developing destinations still has some way to go before it reaches 2019 levels again. Before the pandemic, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Chile, Colombia and Costa Rica were popular choices for French long-haul tourists. Countries with historical ties to France, like Senegal and Madagascar, are also favoured.

S ource: UNWTO

French travel behaviour

The average length of an outbound trip was 8.45 days in 2019; in 2021, this had fallen to 8.11 days. French tourists spend most of their travel budget on flights and transport (30.2%) and accommodation (29.5%). They also spend a comparatively large amount on food and drink (19.4%). Meanwhile, activities represent 13.1% of their expenditure, more than any other source market.

French tourists tend to start planning their trips around six months in advance, depending on the destination. They particularly value recommendations from friends and relatives (54%) and use websites to look at reviews and ratings from other tourists (29%). They are also keen users of traditional guidebooks alongside social media platforms. Generally, French tourists prefer to book directly with airlines and hotels (28%), and through online platforms (22%). If possible, they will use personal connections to book through a trusted source (26%).

French characteristics and travel motivations

French tourists are especially interested in the natural environment of a destination, and off-the-beaten-track destinations are becoming more popular. Local cultural offerings are also very important to them.

French people are known for their independent nature. Many French tourists like to make their own decisions and prefer to travel individually rather than as part of a group. The French can be very direct and straightforward in their communication, and they tend to speak less English than tourists from other European countries – if you can speak French to them, it will be appreciated. Reassurance about health and safety precautions are important for French holidaymakers.

French tourists are particularly interested in food, nature and scenery, and experiencing local culture. They like authenticity and immersive experiences. As an ageing country, the 55+ age group is set to be an important consumer group.

As a nation, France is especially concerned with sustainability, and French tourists are more likely to pay more for sustainable travel and accommodation than other Europeans. According to EU research, almost half of French people (48%) feel that sustainably certified accommodations are important . Individually, French tourists are increasingly choosing to travel less and stay longer. They may also look for alternative travel options, for instance taking the train instead of flying. French tourists have a number of strong preferences:

• Eat locally sourced products while on holiday (52%).
• Reduce waste while on holiday (45%).
• Know that more of their money directly benefits local communities (39%).
• Go on holiday outside the main tourist season (39%).

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a small but densely populated country of 17.5 million people. It is a wealthy, highly developed nation with a well-educated population. The Dutch economy is set for moderate growth in 2023 . The Netherlands is one of the most environmentally aware and sustainability-minded countries in Europe.

Dutch outbound travel market

Travel is extremely important to the Dutch – 85% of the population travel for personal reasons. In 2019, there were 22.0 million outbound trips from the Netherlands, which is an average of 1.3 trips per person and higher than the European average. The value of outbound tourism was €17.6 billion in 2019 and €7.5 billion in 2021, 60.4% below the level of 2019.

Recent outbound expenditure shows that Dutch people are increasingly keen to travel overseas again. In Q3 2022, outbound Dutch tourists spent more than €8.4 billion overseas , of which €1.4 billion was spent outside Europe. This represents an increase of 9% over the same period in 2019.

Turkey was the most popular destination for Dutch tourists in 2019, and demand for Turkish holidays showed strong growth in 2021. Morocco and Mexico were also popular destinations for Dutch tourists. Other notable destinations for Dutch tourists both before and after the pandemic include Malaysia, Vietnam, India and Colombia.

Dutch travel behaviour

According to Eurostat, the average length of stay of Dutch tourists abroad was 10.2 nights, and they spent €790 per trip. Dutch tourists are price conscious and look for good value. Like tourists from other European markets, the Dutch spend the majority of their travel budget on accommodation (30.2%) and flights and transport (28.2%). They also spend a relatively high proportion of their budget on food and drink (22.2%).

When planning a trip, the Dutch rely heavily on word of mouth from friends, colleagues and relatives (53%), and they use their own personal experiences to help shape their decisions (40%). As tech-savvy consumers, Dutch tourists also use websites like Tripadvisor to compare customer reviews and ratings, and to gather information.

Dutch characteristics and travel motivations

Nature and culture are important to Dutch tourists. They are also adventurous, seeking less crowded destinations with good sustainable credentials. Authentic experiences are important to them as well. They look for relaxation and the opportunity to get away from the stresses of everyday life by enjoying nature and outdoor activities.

Many Dutch people speak multiple languages to a good level, particularly English. They are interested in other cultures and are careful with their money, looking for good value. They are well organised when it comes to planning their holidays, often researching trips up to six months in advance. They are very comfortable using the internet to book their trips; few Dutch tourists use traditional travel agents to book their trips these days.

In general, the Dutch are very concerned about the environment, preferring to travel sustainably. The younger age groups show the strongest intention to change their travel behaviour. These changes include choosing alternative forms of transport to avoid flying and minimising their use of plastics to protect the environment. More and more Dutch people are becoming vegetarians (11% of the population) , particularly the younger generation aged 18-24. Destinations with good vegetarian cuisines will be popular choices for conscious consumers.

Figure 18: Importance of sustainability to Dutch tourists

Source: Visit Britain

Additional EU research found that Dutch tourists like to take practical action to travel sustainably, and that they aim to:

• Take holidays outside the main tourist season (45%).
• Eat locally sourced products while on holiday (44%).
• Reduce waste while on holiday (44%).
• Travel to less visited destinations (43%).

Spain has a large population of 47.2 million people and a well-diversified and resilient economy. It has the 14th largest economy in the world and the fourth largest in the EU. Although the Spanish economy grew by 5.5% in 2022, driven by public spending, it has yet to return to 2019 levels. Moreover, growth is expected to slow in 2023. This means that, like other European tourists, Spanish holidaymakers will be looking for good value experiences as the cost of living continues to influence spending behaviour.

Spanish outbound travel market

In 2019, Spain was the fifth largest outbound tourism market in the EU, with 19.8 million outbound trips. Most of these trips were to European destinations, the most popular being France, Portugal and Italy. Spanish outbound tourists spent a total of €27.7 billion in 2019.

Before the pandemic, Morocco was the most popular developing country for Spanish tourists by some margin, followed by Mexico. In 2021, there was a notable increase in departures to Mexico and Costa Rica from Spain. Both of these countries are Spanish speaking, and Latin America opened up more quickly to tourism than Asia.

Other destinations that appeal to Spanish tourists include Vietnam, Indonesia and India. South Africa is also a trending destination for Spanish holidaymakers, with arrivals in 2022 exceeding expectations by 60.2%.

Spanish travel behaviour

In 2019, Spanish tourists’ average length of stay was 7.2 days; by 2021, this had risen to 9.4 days. This most likely reflects a desire to travel again after the pandemic. It is also possible that Spanish tourists saved their holiday leave to go on longer trips. However, expenditure per day fell from US$123.9 in 2019 to US$92.4 per day in 2021. Spanish tourists spend more than half of their travel budget on accommodation (30.3%) and flights and transport (27.5%), in line with other European nations. However, they also spend more than one fifth of their budget on food and drink (20.5%), more than any other source market.

EU research shows that Spanish tourists value recommendations from friends and relatives, and that they use a variety of online websites to book their trips, including OTAs. Cultural offerings are the most important factor for them, closely followed by nature and price.

Many Spanish tourists book their holidays online, and they typically plan their trips abroad one to six months in advance, depending on the destination.

Spanish travel motivations

Beach destinations are the most popular amongst Spanish outbound tourists (37%), followed by rural/nature destinations (17%). They are also keen on taking part in religious activities, most likely because many Spanish people are Catholic and actively take part in religious festivals and ceremonies – more so than many other European nations. Food and drink experiences, CBT and ecotourism are also increasing in popularity amongst Spanish tourists. Other post-pandemic trends include taking big, once-in-a-life trips, and nomadic travel.

Value for money and authentic experiences with opportunities to interact with local people and cultures are also important factors for Spanish holidaymakers in choosing a destination. However, local cultural offerings (44%) and the natural environment (43%) are the most important factors.

Spanish tourists are amongst the most sustainably minded and proactively look to minimise their impact on destinations when they travel. They like to:

• Consume locally sourced products while on holiday (71%).
• Reduce waste while on holiday (68%).
• Take holidays outside the main tourist season (53%).
• Travel to less visited destinations (52%).
• Reduce water usage while on holiday (52%).
• Contribute to carbon-offsetting activities (52%).
• To find out more about European markets, do your own internet research. Many countries’ tourism organisations publish market profiles and consumer insights, including the UK , South Africa , and Australia . Although these organisations focus on inbound markets, they can still offer valuable information about tourists’ characteristics and motivations.
• Look for tourism research published by the EU. The Eurobarometer studies survey public opinion in the EU. The Flash Eurobarometer 499 – Attitudes of Europeans towards tourism was published in 2021.
• To keep up with relevant statistics, consult UNWTO and Eurostat’s tourism database . UNWTO has a tourism dashboard for statistics, but for more detailed data you will have to pay to get access to the e-library . Eurostat publishes many statistics that can be accessed for free.

3. Which tourism products from developing countries are most in demand in European markets?

The tourism products from developing countries that are most in demand in European markets are closely aligned with the adventure tourism segment. Adventure tourism is defined as tourism that includes at least two of the following three elements: a physical activity, the natural environment and cultural immersion. Developing countries offer some of the world’s most exciting and interesting adventure tourism opportunities, which Europeans are especially keen to take part in.

The most popular tourism products amongst European tourists are culture, wellness, food tourism, nature tourism and ecotourism, walking and hiking, and community-based tourism (CBT). All of these segments, which are profiled below, overlap or have links with adventure tourism, which is the primary segment for most developing countries.

Cultural tourism

Cultural tourism involves travel to experience and learn about the culture of a country or region. It includes both the tangible features (built heritage) and intangible features (such as music, local lifestyles, homestays and so on) of a destination’s history and heritage, culture, art, architecture and religion that have shaped its way of life.

Cultural tourism is perhaps the largest tourism niche in the world today, valued at up to US$1.1 trillion. It overlaps with many other niches, including CBT, visiting cities, religious tourism and food tourism. According to UNWTO, at least 40% of all tourists worldwide are cultural tourists. Cultural tourism is also set to grow, as tourists seek meaningful, immersive experiences and transformative and experiential tourism have become major trends.

The market for European cultural tourists is large as well, accounting for an estimated 40% of all European tourism. Tourists from Italy, France and the Netherlands are most interested in cultural tourism, while Germany has the largest European cultural tourism market. Cultural tourists have specific characteristics. They are typically well educated, tech savvy and affluent, and they are active and frequent travellers. They also tend to stay longer in a destination, spend more per day and enjoy interacting with local communities.

Figure 21: Enjoying cultural tourism in Machu Picchu, Peru

Source: Unsplash

The quality of a cultural tourism product depends to a large extent on the quality of local guides. They must be able to offer interesting and stimulating information, as well as an authentic and unique experience. Like all tourism products, cultural tourism must be developed based on sustainable, responsible and ethical principles. It must directly benefit local communities, while any negative impact on those communities, and on the environment and local culture, must be minimal.

The market for European buyers is very large. Most European tour operators, including Window to Travel and Nomade Aventure , offer cultural tourism – usually as part of a trip that also involves other forms of tourism. Culture is also a popular theme in tour operators’ advertising. There are specialist cultural tour operators as well, such as Martin Randall and Envoy Tours . Online travel agents (OTAs) such as Withlocals and Viator sell huge numbers of cultural products, ranging from short tours to full-day sightseeing excursions. Private guides, cooking classes, guided tours and skip-the-line tickets to major attractions are also popular.

• To find out how to attract European tourists, read the CBI study What are the opportunities on the European cultural tourism market ?

Wellness tourism

Wellness tourism is another significant niche that has shown particular resilience since the pandemic. Globally, people have been more interested in their own health and wellness, actively seeking ways to stay fit, both physically and mentally. Wellness encompasses many traditional activities, including yoga, meditation, spa treatments, hot springs tourism and eating healthy. However, ‘feel good’ activities like CBT, walking, cycling and swimming also contribute to wellness, so this is a broad category.

Besides North America, Europe is the largest market for wellness worldwide. European wellness tourists took almost 300 million wellness trips the year before the pandemic, and this market is expected to expand. It was valued at US$814.6 billion in 2023 , and over the next seven year it is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 12.4%.

There are two types of European wellness tourists: primary wellness tourists and secondary wellness tourists. Primary wellness tourists usually stay in all-inclusive wellness resorts that are typically luxurious and offer a full wellness package. Secondary wellness tourists are a much larger group, accounting for almost nine in 10 wellness trips, and 86% of total wellness expenditure. They engage in wellness activities as part of a bigger trip and are more interested in the cultural link between a destination and its unique local wellness remedies. This is the group that offers the best opportunities for local tour operators.

Germany, the UK and France are the most important source markets for wellness tourism. The Netherlands, Spain and Italy are other important markets. Germans are particularly experienced wellness travellers who value spending time in nature. British tourists focus on mental wellness and often choose yoga and meditation retreats for their wellness trips. French holidaymakers spend more than their counterparts from other European countries and will often travel further (if they can), favouring French-speaking countries like Madagascar.

There are many specialist wellness tourism providers in the European market, such as Healing Holidays and Wellnessurlaub . OTA platforms like Viator , GetYourGuide and Musement offer an enormous range of wellness trips, tours and experiences. Wellness products sold to European consumers must meet strict regulations around health, safety, cleanliness and qualified practitioners. These are key to ensuring the safety of wellness tourists and confidence in the skills and professionalism of local operators.

• To discover more about the European wellness tourism market, read the CBI study What are the opportunities on the European wellness tourism market ?

Food tourism

Food tourism is a very large and important tourism niche that has become more and more popular amongst outbound tourists. Estimates of its value vary from US$500 billion to US$1 trillion. It is a very diverse niche spanning many different things, such as food festivals, food museums, cooking classes, wine tastings and artisan producer visits. Through food, tourists can get a true sense of a destination’s culture, heritage and traditions. Local cuisines are often the main factor in choosing a destination.

Europeans who want to have immersive and authentic experiences often choose food experiences. This means that there are lots of opportunities for local operators to develop unique food tourism products and showcase their local cuisine. Food tourism also reaches many more people than just dedicated food tourists. It can also help stimulate year-round tourism by attracting tourists travelling out of season.

The European market is estimated to account for 35% of the food tourism niche. Holidaymakers from Spain are most likely to be food tourists (31%), followed by Italy (22%), France (20%) and Germany (18%). Food tourists spend roughly the same as other tourists during a trip (€1,547).

The European buyer market is a mix of tour operators for longer trips and OTAs for short food experiences. Tour operators like Original Travel and Essential Escapes usually include food experiences as part of a longer trip. There are also a small number of specialist food tour operators, such as Gourmet on Tour . OTAs are the most common platforms for short experiences. This group includes specialist platforms like Traveling Spoon and Eatwith , as well as larger activity-based OTAs like Viator .

• To find out more about the food tourism niche market, read the CBI study What are the opportunities on the European food tourism market ? .

Nature tourism and ecotourism

Nature tourism and ecotourism are closely related. Nature tourism involves travel for the purpose of enjoying natural areas and their biodiversity. Ecotourism involves environment-based experiences that are sustainable, low impact and help to protect or preserve local communities or natural environments. Demand for authentic and immersive experiences in natural surroundings is very high in the European market. This has been driven by the pandemic, which caused tourists to actively seek out less crowded destinations and natural environments.

The nature tourism niche is a significant segment. In 2018, global tourism to protected areas was valued at US$600 billion, while wildlife tourism was valued at US$343.6 billion. In line with sustainability trends, demand from Europeans for authentic, responsible nature trips is high. Germany has the largest market for nature tourists, followed by France and the Netherlands. Ecotourists are often prepared to pay more for experiences if they are meaningful and immersive.

Figure 22: Nature tourism and ecotourism in Costa Rica’s rainforests

Sustainability is an essential component in nature tourism and ecotourism. Taking a ‘ nature positive ’ approach to tourism development has been identified as crucial in the global effort to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and build a better world. EU research from 2021 shows that Europeans want to behave sustainably when they travel, for instance by consuming locally sourced produce and reducing waste.

European tour operators usually offer a range of different experiences as part of nature packages, including trekking, cycling, wildlife safaris and birdwatching. Ecotourism experiences are often included in nature packages, but they can also be sourced directly (such as an ecolodge in the rainforest). Examples of European tour operators that specialise in nature tourism and ecotourism include Better Places , Far and Wild Travel and ASI Reisen .

• Do your own research on the nature tourism and ecotourism markets. The CBI studies What are the opportunities in the European market for nature tourism ? and What are the opportunities on the European ecotourism market ? are a good place to start.

Walking and hiking

Walking and hiking are popular all over the world, and they are directly linked to nature tourism and ecotourism. There are all kinds of walking and hiking opportunities, ranging from easy trails over gentle terrain to more challenging routes in more difficult conditions. Trips can last from a few hours to days or weeks, or longer. Walking and hiking tourism encompasses several specialist niche markets, including trekking, Nordic walking, hill and mountain walking, rock climbing and long-distance walking. Many hikers wants to discover remote destinations, immerse themselves in local cultures, and enjoy local cuisines en route.

Walking and hiking are amongst the most popular pastimes across Europe, attracting people of all ages. France has the largest hiking community in Europe – 54% of the population, or 38 million people, identify as hikers. In the UK, social media platforms are driving an increase in walking groups of people in their 20s and 30s. Research in 2018 found that 81% of UK millennials (born between 1980 and 1995, aged 27 to 42 today) would consider taking up hiking as a hobby. In Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands, more and more people are taking to the trails every year.

Additional CBI research has shown that walking tourists usually stay longer at a destination, for an average of 12.6 nights. They also spend more, at €1,657 per trip. Walkers prefer to book their accommodation online, either on specialist platforms like Booking.com, or on platforms that combine services.

Almost half of all European tour operators are active in the walking and hiking niche (49.8%). Many operators specialise in walking holidays, such as Walks Worldwide (UK) and SNP Natuurreizen (Netherlands). Others include walking and hiking as themes within their portfolios. It is relatively easy to develop sustainable walking products that have minimal impact on the local environment and benefit local communities. They can also be less costly to implement.

• To find out more about the walking tourism niche, read the CBI study What are the opportunities for walking tourism from Europe ?

Community-based tourism

Community-based tourism (CBT) involves community-led tourism experiences where communities own, host and manage their own tourism programmes. Local communities benefit from this through economic empowerment and skills development. This form of tourism also inspires tourists and promotes cross-cultural understanding. CBT is a very popular tourism activity today, particularly amongst Europeans seeking authentic and immersive experiences. CBT is directly aligned with the growing demand for indigenous-led tourism experiences.

Sustainability is an essential component of CBT. This means that local CBT tour operators must offer sustainable products. As a result of the EU Green Deal, more and more European tour operators will only work with suppliers that are certified as sustainable. Travelife for Tour Operators , the Good Travel Seal and TourCert are the most widely recognised certification schemes by European buyers.

CBT particularly offers opportunities for small communities to enter the tourism market. CBT leaders like Costa Rica, Vietnam and India have been promoting CBT successfully for many years. But there are also emerging destinations, such as Colombia, which after decades of conflict now offers CBT as a way to develop economic self-sufficiency for remote communities and promote peacebuilding.

Figure 23: Community homestay in remote region of Colombia

Source: Acorn Tourism Consulting

European CBT tourists are adventure tourists, motivated by the ‘feel-good factor’ of immersive, cultural experiences. They want to ‘make a difference’ by helping local communities. CBT tourists can be found across all ages and consumer groups, and many like to travel independently as FITs (fully independent travellers), booking directly with communities or OTAs. Spanish tourists have the highest preference for CBT, followed by the UK, France and the Netherlands.

CBI research shows that CBT tourists stay longer in a destination (11.8 nights) than other tourists (10.5 nights). However, they also spend less than other tourists: €1,294 vs €1,547. CBT experiences are often less expensive than other tourism activities, which may account for the lower spending per trip. But although they spend less, CBT tourists are prepared to pay for experiences that they know will have a positive impact on people, places and the planet.

European tour operators usually sell CBT as part of larger adventure packages, which can either be scheduled or tailor-made tours. They often work with local destination marketing organisations (DMOs). The UK has the largest market for operators that specialise in cultural and adventure trips. Examples include Culture Contact and Nomadic Tribe . OTAs like Earth Changers and I Like Local are major platforms for CBT, offering local providers the opportunity to list their products directly.

• To find out more about CBT, read the study What are the opportunities for community-based tourism from Europe ?

Other interesting niches to be aware of

Other interesting niches that Europeans are keen on include SAVE (scientific, academic, volunteer and education tourism), water sports, sun and beach tourism, religious tourism, wildlife watching and city breaks.

The business tourism sector is another interesting sector. More and more business travellers are adding leisure to their work trips, also known as ‘bleisure’. Other tourists travel mainly for leisure but conduct business at the same time, staying in one place for longer. A new term that has emerged for this kind of leisure/business travel is ‘lisness’. These travellers can be compared to digital nomads and have similar communication requirements as they want to make sure they can conduct business efficiently.

To find out more about trends in the tourism industry, read the CBI report Which trends offer opportunities or pose threats on the European market ?

You can also read about other niche market segments and target groups on the CBI website .

Acorn Tourism Consulting Limited carried out this study on behalf of CBI.

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Is the green revolution an opportunity for uk tourism.

25 August 2021

By Darren Ashworth and Rory Stracey

International tourism accounts for 5% of the world's CO₂, according to the United Nations, but even before the Covid-19 travel restrictions clipped wings, the industry was already seeing a rise in climate-conscious travellers.

Trip Advisor and Visit England now have green accreditation schemes so people can easily find sustainable accommodation and attractions, and the Michelin Guide has introduced a green star for environmentally friendly restaurants.

“Green tourism is on the radar now, particularly for the younger generation. Having good sustainability credentials helps to build customer goodwill, and it's a differentiator from the competition,” says Darren Ashworth, Partner at Trowers & Hamlins.

Could the UK’s hospitality industry capitalise from the rise of environment-conscious domestic tourism, and how might this demand be leveraged?

“For a start, there is an inherent greenness to holidaying in the UK because you don’t get on a plane,” says Rory Stracey, Partner at Trowers & Hamlins.

There's a feel-good factor that comes with green tourism; people do want to stay in sustainable hotels and eat sustainably.”

The image of holidaying in the UK is changing. While you can still find static caravan parks and sticks of rock, there is a growing demand for more quality accommodation, emphasising sustainability and locally sourced food.

And it’s not just the hotels and restaurants which are going green, there is an emphasis on sustainable tourist attractions and activities. Cornwall’s Eden Project was the trailblazer and continues to be. This year work has started on a geothermal energy project to heat the biomes and feed energy back into the National Grid. It's also planning to build an eco-hotel.

A new scheme in Cornwall is the Celsius Project which got planning permission in May. It will be built on a cleaned-up landfill and will be the world’s first geothermal rum distillery combining sustainable tourism with local produce.

Will the lack of guaranteed sunshine be a fly in the ointment for the UK’s tourism offer?

Perhaps. But bad weather can be turned to tourism’s advantage. Sports such as wind and kite surfing need blowy conditions, and there is a growing trend among hardier types for wild swimming all year round.

As well as sporting activities, Ashworth thinks culture can play a big part in the appeal of UK tourism.

It's about finding unique experiences and being immersed in the culture, and there is niche culture to explore all around the country. It’s about the authenticity of individual places, challenging the perceptions and playing to strengths by offering something new and unique,” he says.

It all comes down to how holidays in the UK are branded and marketed. Ashworth thinks linking eco-hotels or resorts with local culture is a missing piece of the UK tourism brand. “Think of Manchester’s music heritage and the industrial revolution, there is so much to explore, but combining that messaging with sustainable travel options needs more work,” he says. Home-grown tourism faces other challenges too; making it appealing all year round so it is economically and ecologically sustainable.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for UK eco-tourism is to ensure it doesn’t develop at the expense of local communities.

The demand to develop new quality accommodation in UK holiday destinations is high. This, combined with the advent of platforms like Airbnb, has pushed up house and land prices, making homes unaffordable for many locals.

As a result, local councils in popular beach towns such as St Ives have introduced restrictions on new build accommodation which is used as holiday accommodation.

Stracey says: “It’s a real challenge trying to sell in your development to a local community and drawing the link with the economic benefits of tourism spend.”

With a lot of travel restrictions still in place, this year will no doubt be a good one for home-grown tourism. However, longer-term, with the right product and right marketing, the UK’s tourism industry could capitalise on more environmentally conscious holidaymakers.

Hotels going green

There is a growing trend in tourist hotspots and the UK’s cities to build new hotels sustainably and run them with minimal environmental impact.

In Cornwall, eco-hotel The Scarlet was built to high sustainability standards. Materials were vetted for environmental impact and miles travelled to the site, pre-fabrication and concrete produced from waste clay were used. Research went into the local wildlife to make sure construction didn’t have an adverse effect.

“Locally sourced products and trades were used as much as possible for example, local artists were used for interior features,” says Ivy Acorda, Senior Associate at Trowers & Hamlins.

The hotel is operated with the same locally sourced, minimal waste and environmental impact philosophy.

The Pig Hotel chain, which operates across the south of England, goes one step further and grows its own fruit and veg for the ultimate in locally sourced.

UK city hotels are also going green. The Helmsley Group is planning a net-zero carbon emissions hotel in York. It will include solar panels, air-source heat pumps and a green wall. The hotel is being built on the site of a car park but will offer no car parking when it is complete.

Technology will increasingly play a big part in helping hotels minimise their environmental impact, from gathering data and monitoring waste and energy to smart hotel rooms, which turn everything off automatically when guests go out.

However, building new sustainably is only part of the challenge; there is a huge amount of existing hotel stock that doesn’t meet the same high sustainability standards. Pressure to invest in green refurbishment will grow as demand from eco-tourism grows as well as the need to meet the Government's environmental targets.

Planning plays a part in the green tourism agenda

Demand is the carrot for the tourism industry to be greener, but there is also a stick, the UK Government has a target of reaching net-zero by 2050.

“The Government can set policy which impacts how construction is carried out, and the types of materials used, and likewise local Government is starting to drive the sustainability agenda through planning policy,” Acorda.

Indeed, local councils are increasingly looking for development that minimises environmental impact and offers economic and social value.

For the latter, green tourism can be both a positive and negative. For example, hospitality which focuses on locally sourced products and produce, can boost local businesses, but the flip side can be rising residential values, which price local people out of the market and the dominance of low-paid, seasonal jobs.

Perhaps more palatable for UK tourism hotspots like the South West and East of England are glamping sites. While static caravans can be a permanent blot on the landscape, glamping facilities offer a more sustainable, temporary solution.

Glamping, a portmanteau of ‘glamourous’ and ‘camping’, involves semi-permanent tents, good facilities (your own loo, for example) and plenty of on-site activities.

Permitted development rights (PDR), which stipulates that land can be put to any use (with limitations) for 56 days of the year, has boosted glamping opportunities.

But with PDR there is a danger that giving free rein to land use ultimately risks destroying the beauty of the landscape, which is what attracted people to the area in the first place.

Ashworth, says: “There is a balance to be struck. Traditionally the planning system has been in place to ensure that any tourism growth proposals are considered in a measured way so that the environmental impacts are minimised.”

Darren Ashworth

Rory Stracey

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The rise of UK staycations: the ongoing demand in a rapidly changing tourism landscape

• September 20, 2022

The staycation industry has seen significant growth over the last three years, largely down to the coronavirus pandemic. This growth is set to accelerate as the fallout from covid continues to affect airlines’ staffing levels, causing flight cancellations and general uncertainty, and on top of this, inflation and the rising cost of living affect peoples’ disposable income.

Case in point, a report from 2019 by Frontline for the UK Caravan and Camping Alliance, about the economic benefits of holiday parks and campsites, stated that tourism is one of the UK’s key industries, with the country aiming to have a tourism industry worth over £275 billion by 2025. [i]

As the impact to our economy in recent years continues to take unexpected turns, there are new standards emerging in consumer demand and there is growing evidence that previously overlooked asset investments are here to stay. Luxury holiday parks are now ever present in a heavily disrupted tourist industry, and offer exciting opportunities for investment diversification. And the more you investigate, the stronger the argument that staycation properties are now a stable and long term fixture in the UK travel industry becomes.

The increasing rise in the popularity of staycations

The appeal of staycations rose dramatically during the coronavirus pandemic as international travel was off the cards. 2020 saw record levels of domestic tourism, but this was a market that was on the rise even before the pandemic kicked in. A report from Barclays on staycations in 2019 found that three in ten domestic holidaymakers (31%), when surveyed, said they planned to spend more holiday time in the UK in 2019 than they did in previous years. [i]

Although the lifting of COVID restrictions early in the year put overseas travel back on the map, Britons are still showing an increased desire for holidaying in the UK, due to the continuing chaos that reigns in airports all over the country. Earlier in the year, it was widely reported that hundreds of flights had been cancelled due to staff shortages and covid-related absences. This led to thousands being unable to go on their pre-booked holidays – losing money and time off – and huge queues and delays at airports throughout the country caused mass frustration and a loss of confidence in international travel.

It was revealed that this uncertainty and chaos caused many to want to stay in the UK to prevent the hassle. [ii] Numerous UK travel-related websites have noted they’ve seen increases in traffic and bookings this year. Luxury camping website Canopy & Stars stated traffic had increased around 15% week-on-week in April and was tracking 15% ahead of 2019 pre-pandemic levels.

A spokesperson for Sykes Holiday Cottages told I News that bookings were up 75% over the 2022 Easter bank holiday and they’d seen no signs of this slowing, with them also increasing by 35% in autumn compared to 2019. [iii] And, after the mayhem of this summer, I wouldn’t be surprised if these numbers increase even further next year.

With travelling abroad being so difficult for so long, a lot of people have sought alternative options in the form of staycations. Those who may not have previously considered a holiday in this country had no other choice than to explore more local areas, leading to an increase in domestic tourism. Now, more individuals are aware of the benefits of holidaying in the UK, so staycations have become more popular and will remain so.

Holidays abroad set to reach record high prices next year

On top of this, the mounting cost of living crisis has resulted in a large proportion of people having to dramatically cut their spending, meaning they have less disposable income. I recently wrote a piece for the Seventy Ninth Journal about how the dramatic increase in inflation is leading to a shift in motives behind investing, detailing how prices are rising at their fastest rate for more than 40 years. [i] This shows how the cost-of-living crisis really is affecting all areas and all sectors, including the travel industry.

Travel Weekly, just last week, reported that foreign travel felt the impact of the cost-of-living squeeze in August, with spending at travel agents and airlines declining 5% and 2.6% respectively, according to data from Barclaycard. However, the domestic travel sector performed strongly with summer staycations boosting spend on hotels, resorts and accommodation by 4.1% month-on-month. [ii]

Further to this, both the ongoing war in Ukraine and Brexit have led to supply chain issues around the world, driving up the cost of many things, including jet fuel, which was reported in February to have gone up by 68% over the past 12 months. [iii] Prices for international holidays are only set to increase into next year too. Jet2 boss, Steve Heapy, is among several tourism leaders who believe the rising cost of living will drive up the price of a holiday by record levels next summer. [iv]

This is likely to lead to a large portion of the population being unable to afford holidays abroad and to find themselves looking for alternative ways to enjoy a holiday here in the UK. This will lead to a surge in demand and bookings for holiday parks in the UK, like the three we are purchasing.

Holiday parks: a hot market

Savills’ recent Aspects of Leisure report discusses the holiday park market and its upward shift over the past year. When compiling market intelligence for the 2021 season, they noticed there was a notable upwards shift in the price being paid for holiday parks, as they prospered in 2021, whilst other industries suffered. Due to the pandemic, they have benefitted from increased demands for both the purchase of, and letting of, holiday units. Park owners also reported above-average occupancy levels during this time.

The current conditions were described as the perfect storm to drive up the value of parks. A lot of operators stated there was a shift in customer base as they become more appealing to higher socio-economic groups than they were previously. This has led to many owners improving their current parks to offer ‘luxury’ accommodation – much like what our new acquisitions will offer. The improved perception of UK holiday parks is a big factor attracting new investors to the marketplace and providing what Savills describes as ‘the strongest market conditions the sector has ever encountered’. [i]

As the holiday park sector continues to evolve more quickly than ever before, consumers benefit from greater choice, which serves to ensure the future of the industry. This research also highlights the fact that our latest acquisition is a sound investment that allows us to offer our clients a way to tap into this new market potential whilst diversifying their portfolios with inflation beating new investments.

The staycation market has been on the rise for years, and the covid-19 pandemic and its continuing effects on travel only serve to accelerate its growth. As the cost-of-living crisis hits the UK, I have no doubt this will push even more people to explore the many possibilities that holidaying in the UK can offer. For anyone looking to tap into the profit potential of this burgeoning market, I believe now is the perfect time to invest.

If you’re interested in finding out more about our range of investments and what we can offer, get in touch today to arrange a chat. You can drop the rest of the team and I a call on 0151 316 0392 or email us at [email protected] .

[i] Pitching the Value, 2019 Economic Benefit Report: Holiday Parks and Campsites UK. Report for the UK Caravan & Camping Alliance, Frontline, Feb 2019: 2019-economic-benefits-report-holiday-parks-and-campsites-uk-final-report.pdf

[ii] The Great British Staycation, Barclays: Barclays – HL-report-staycation.pdf

[iii] Demand for summer staycations climb as Britons book UK holidays to avoid overseas travel chaos, I News ,   https://inews.co.uk/news/demand-summer-staycations-climb-britons-book-uk-holidays-overseas-travel-chaos-1594207

[iv] Demand for summer staycations climb as Britons book UK holidays to avoid overseas travel chaos, I News ,  https://inews.co.uk/news/demand-summer-staycations-climb-britons-book-uk-holidays-overseas-travel-chaos-1594207

[v] Investing to beat inflation: A change in motives for UK investors https://the79thgroup.co.uk/investing-to-beat-inflation-a-change-in-motives-for-uk-investors/

[vi] Cost of living squeeze starts to impact international travel, Barclaycard reveals: https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/air/cost-of-living-squeeze-starts-to-impact-international-travel-barclaycard-reveals

[vii] Holidaymakers facing flight price hikes in next two months as fuel costs soar https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/holidaymakers-facing-huge-flight-price-26287195

[ix] Should you book your 2023 holiday now to avoid skyrocketing prices?

https://thepointsguy.co.uk/news/cost-increase-book-next-year-holiday-now/ [1] Savills Aspects of Leisure Summer 2022 Report: https://www.savills.co.uk/pdf/aspects-of-leisure-spring-summer-2022-final-2.pdf

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United Kingdom Adventure Tourism Market Overview

Adventure tourism involves domestic and international traveling that entails various adventurous activities such as rafting, cycling, exploring the natural environment, and cultural immersion, among others. Additionally, it provides practical and cost-effective incentives to promote bio-cultural variety while bringing in revenue for regional and private sectors. Due to its adaptability, ability to support economies, and promotion of sustainable practices, adventure tourism is now becoming more popular than traditional mass tourism across the globe. In 2021 the global market size was $282.1 billion, with couples, solo travelers, and groups representing 80% of the market for this sector. A recent survey of global travelers showed the 51-60 age group dominated the adventure tourism market, with the 29-40 following close behind. According to the World Tourism Organization, over 85% of visitors aged 30-40 get their inspiration for their travel plans from social media, e.g., Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.

The United Kingdom is the largest adventure tourism market in Europe, according to the World Tourism Organization, with 19% of the world’s adventure travel tourists. A recent Visit Britain survey concluded that 40% of British tourists prefer sports and active holidays. Interest in active and nature tourism is significantly growing among millennials as well as senior travelers. When planning their trips, they are more often seeking to incorporate activities such as mountain biking and canoeing. In addition, the desire to try more adventurous activities, e.g., bungee jumping, rafting, or paragliding, is on the rise. 

This increased focus on adventure tourism presents opportunities for destination marketing organizations (DMO’s) across the United States to attract greater numbers of UK adventure-seeking travelers. 

For information or updates on the tourism sector, please contact Stephen Brown , Commercial Specialist.

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UK Touring and Adventure Holidays Market Report 2023

£  2,195 (Excl.Tax)

Description

The Touring and Adventure Holidays Market Report 2023 provides comprehensive data and invaluable analysis of consumer attitudes towards adventure and touring holidays. Our research examines the impact of the rising cost of living on the touring and adventure holidays market, future interest in group touring holidays and barriers to booking holidays. Gain insight into how to respond to changing consumer demands and stay ahead of your competition with our adventure tourism market research.

Touring and Adventure Holidays Market – Overview

The price of holidays offered has become the leading factor when travellers decide which company to book a touring and adventure holiday with. As household finances become increasingly squeezed, travellers will continually analyse the cost-value associated with the touring and adventure holidays market. Brands offering low deposits, the option to pay in instalments and providing a holiday booking calendar that shows prices on a range of dates, will appeal to a wider range of customers amid the cost of living crisis .

Touring and Adventure Holidays Market – Trends & Consumer Behaviours

The growing number of one-person households provides opportunities for brands to appeal to a larger number of older singles. Older travellers defiantly refuse to conform to the prevailing norms and expectations of ‘older people’ in today’s society, and so operators would do well to promote the social aspect of tours, as well as opportunities to try new activities and experiences, to solo older travellers. The touring and adventure holidays market also continues to be popular amongst Gen Zs, who remain keen for the reassurance of travelling within a group.

Adventure tourism market UK – Statistics

• 67% of over-65s said they were interested in going on a group touring holiday.
• 63% of those who are interested in taking a group touring holiday would be most likely to travel abroad for their trip.
• 53% of travelers would be interested in going on a historical or cultural group touring holiday.
• 37% of Gen Z would be interested in participating in a photography touring holiday.

Touring and Adventure Holidays Market – Future Outlook & Opportunities

Generation Z are revolutionising modern photography and video culture with the rise of social media and resurgent interest in physical photos. Operators in the tour and adventure holidays market can capitalise on this trend by offering photography tours to the younger, cost-conscious generation. These tours should provide Gen Zs with unique opportunities to create content in exciting locations at affordable prices.

With travel sustainability moving to the fore of many consumers’ minds, operators in the touring and adventure holidays market should increasingly focus on what they can do to improve their sustainability credentials. Travellers will increasingly expect brands to make sustainable choices on their behalf, such as carbon offsetting and offering a range of sustainable transport options.

To discover more about the UK Consumers and the Cost of Living Market Report 2023, read our UK Holiday Review Market Report 2023 , or take a look at our other Holidays and Travel Market Research.

Quickly Understand

• The impact of the rising cost of living on the touring and adventure holidays market.
• Future interest in group touring holidays.
• Barriers towards group touring holidays.
• Considered budget, destinations and companions for a group touring holiday.
• Important factors when booking a group touring holiday.

Leading Brands in the Adventure Tourism Market UK

Riveria, Byway, Escorted, Great Rail Journeys, Riviera Tours, Newmarket Holidays, Specialist Journeys, Leger Holidays, Cosmos Tours, Martin Randall Travel, Jules Verne, Wendy Wu Tours, G Touring Limited, G Adventures, Ramblers Walking, HolidaysExodus Travels, Explore Worldwide, Intrepid Travel UK, On The Go Tours, KE Adventure Travel

Expert Analysis from a Specialist in the Travel Sector

This report, written by Rich Shepherd, a leading analyst in the travel sector , delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight current trends in the touring and adventure holidays market and add expert context to the numbers.

Interest in group touring holidays has declined in the last year, despite the lifting of international travel restrictions. With some consumers believing they do not offer enough value for money, brands will have to up their game to increase the perceived value amid the rising cost of living. Effective ways to do so include promoting the convenience of touring holidays, as well as providing premium options for those looking for an upgraded experience.” Jennie Bryans Travel and Leisure Analyst

Table of Contents

• Key issues covered in this Report
• Products covered in this Report

Executive Summary

• Figure 1: Category outlook, 2023-27
• Figure 2: Holiday bookings in the last three months, 2019/20 vs 2022/23
• Figure 3: The financial Confidence Index, 2009-23
• Companies and brands
• Riviera launches new immersive itineraries
• Increased focus on indigenous tourism
• Byway and Intrepid Travel launch flight-free trips
• The consumer
• Figure 4: Overall interest in group touring holidays, by age, 2020-22
• Figure 5: Future interest in group touring holidays, 2020-22
• Figure 6: Interest in themed touring holidays, 2021-22
• Opportunities to promote themed tours for all ages
• 6 in 10 would head abroad for a touring holiday
• Figure 7: Desired destinations for touring holidays, by generation, 2022
• Figure 8: Considered spending on touring holidays, by age, 2022
• Figure 9: Desired companions for touring holidays, 2022
• Figure 10: Important factors when choosing a group touring holiday provider, 2022
• Free time important for consumers
• Figure 11: Behaviours towards group touring holidays, 2022
• The overarching barrier is a preference for other holiday types
• Figure 12: Barriers to touring holidays, 2022

Issues and Insights

• Inflationary pressures expected to remain
• Opportunities for brands to target different age groups
• The young adventurer
• Quality time together has become more important to families
• Older consumers are willing to pay for convenience and quality

Market Drivers

• Figure 13: Holiday bookings in the last three months, 2019/20 vs 2022/23
• Figure 14: Plans to book a holiday in the next three months, 2019/20 vs 2022/23
• Inflationary concerns remain a key concern for many consumers
• While some consumers will look to lower-cost options…
• Figure 15: The financial Confidence Index, 2009-23

Launch Activity and Innovation

• New touring and adventure holiday itineraries
• Contiki adds new Greece trips
• Contiki launches in Africa
• G Adventures unveiled a series of European tours
• Newmarket Holidays launches new dates for Lapland Day Trips in 2023
• Leger Holidays releases 18 new battlefield tours
• Whereabouts Holidays offers a broader range of trips following relaunch
• Spotlight on sustainability
• G Adventures’ investment in sustainable tech start-up
• Luxury coach travel sets off
• Interrail launches 50% flash sale

Touring and Adventure Holiday Operators

• Escorted touring – key elements
• Group adventure – key elements
• Figure 16: Leading escorted tour operators, by revenue, January 2023
• Figure 17: Leading group adventure travel tour operators, by revenue, January 2023

Future Interest in Touring Holidays

• Figure 18: Overall interest in group touring holidays, by age, 2020-22
• Escorted rail tours now the second desired type of group touring holiday
• Figure 19: Future interest in group touring holidays, 2020-22
• Figure 20: Interrail website landing page, January 2023
• Wealthy, older travellers are interested in being whisked away on coach tours…
• Figure 21: Future interest in group touring holidays, by age, 2022

Interest in Themed Touring Holidays

• Figure 22: Interest in themed touring holidays, 2021-22
• Older travellers show high interest in history and culture
• Spotlight on foodie tours for the whole family
• Figure 23: Interest in themed touring holidays, by age, 2022

Destinations for Touring Holidays

• Figure 24: Desired destinations for touring holidays, 2022
• Figure 25: Desired destinations for touring holidays, 2022
• Millennials keen for closer to home breaks…
• Figure 26: Desired destinations for touring holidays, by generation, 2022
• Figure 27: Selection of European food adventure tours available with Intrepid Travel, January 2023

Spending on Touring Holidays

• Figure 28: Considered spending on touring holidays, by age, 2022
• Figure 29: Flexible payment options offered by Contiki, 2023
• Rising cost of living offers opportunity to promote domestic touring holidays

Companions for Touring Holidays

• Figure 30: Desired companions for touring holidays, 2022
• Tours are a popular option for young groups of friends…
• Figure 31: Desired companions for touring holidays, by age, 2022

Important Factors for Touring Holidays

• Figure 32: Important factors when choosing a group touring holiday provider, 2022
• Figure 33: Consumers who selected ‘the price of holidays offered’ as an important factor, by age and gender, 2022
• Families long for innovative offerings

Behaviours towards Touring Holidays

• Travellers crave summer breaks
• 7 in 10 turn to the specialists
• Figure 34: Behaviours towards group touring holidays, 2022

Barriers to Touring and Adventure Holidays

• Figure 35: Barriers to touring holidays, 2022
• Cost and companions are cited as other barriers
• Operators should focus on increasing the perceived value
• Touring and adventure holidays offer opportunities for connections

Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information

• Abbreviations
• Consumer research methodology

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Our history, explore our timeline, our history between 1969 to 1979.

The British Tourist Authority (BTA) is born. Before that, British tourism was promoted under the British Travel and Holidays Association, which itself started off life in 1929 as the Travel Association of Great Britain and Ireland. The Association ran perhaps what was one of the longest running campaigns going, Come to Britain, spanning 50 years.

• The Development of Tourism Act 1969 gets Royal Assent and BTA is set up, along with national boards for England, Scotland and Wales.
• Marketing activities focus on Britain’s people, language and its ‘intriguing blend of history and achievements’.
• Britain is marketed as a country for all seasons, boasting ‘antique hunting in quiet Cotswold villages’ to ‘skiing in Scotland’s Cairngorms, climbing or pony-trekking in Wales’.
• Press and advertising takes off in 22 countries, supported by BTA’s 24 overseas offices. Promotion hinges on traditional and new hobbies too such as motoring, young people’s interests, and business and conference visits.
• There is a 16% increase in overseas visitors coming to the UK – that’s around 6.7 million people.
• A Holidays in Britain brochure produces more than 1 million copies in 12 languages. BTA starts to promote off-peak travel. It runs to 17 editions in 10 languages, with around 311,000 copies sent out.
• The Foretaste of Britain ‘71 is held alongside chef, Egon Ronay to promote Britain’s world-class hotels. Fifty food and travel writers and gastronomes from 15 countries attend a four-day event in November. It’s a success, with some 500 articles lavishing praise on British hotels and restaurants, and in turn bringing thousands of pounds’ worth of publicity for the Come to Britain campaign.
• Films and music campaigns are big in 1971, such as The Song of Britain film, The Welcome Inn and Cotswold Journey, produced alongside the British Leyland Motor Corporation. 
• BTA’s short film on London, A City for All Seasons, wins first place in the Gold Camera Awards at the US Industrial Film Festival in Chicago, and a Bronze at the Atlanta International Film Festival. 
• Some 46 educational tours take place for travel agents from 21 countries including the US, Mexico, Australia, Argentina and European countries.
• The first centrally-coordinated world-advertising campaign: Britain – a Treasure House of History is held in 21 different markets.
• The Taste of Scotland campaign launches alongside the Scottish Tourist Board and the British Airports Authority, aimed at North American and European markets. 
• The first Welsh joint overseas promotion for Tenby happens in the Netherlands and Belgium.
• We produce more than 1,780 tapes to be sent overseas, with broadcast for stations around the world.
• We make three films: Splendours of Britain Ltd; Gardens of Britain and Windows on the Past, highlighting Britain’s museums.
• The Song of Britain film wins the Gold Camera Award at the US Industrial Film Festival, Chicago.
• BTA produces and distributes books on Britain which include maps and itineraries, amounting to some 19.3 million pieces of literature, internationally.
• Britain joins the European Economic Community on January 1. We help plan and promote the Fanfare for Europe celebrations. A London Bus tours 23 cities in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland reaching 43,000 people, resulting in 8,000 enquiries.
• The Oil Crisis leads to The Reassurance Campaign assuring visitors of a warm welcome in Britain as a value-for-money place to visit.
• BTA works in partnership with the national tourist boards for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and bodies such as the Countryside Commission and Sports Council to support the upcoming European Architectural Heritage Year 1975. 
• The Reassurance Campaign continues in Canada in partnership with British Airways, British Caledonian and British Rail as well as hotel groups and includes adverts in the Canadian press to ‘illustrate the normality of day to day activities in Britain’. It’s later repeated in Germany, Holland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
• Fifty-two joint overseas promotions are held including one with the Corporation of Aberdeen to bring the International Festival of Youth Orchestras to Aberdeen, with invitation to make a permanent home there.
• A joint campaign with British Airways, British Rail, British Transport Hotels, Trust House Forte and Avis runs to emphasise Britain’s value-for-money to US visitors. 
• European campaigns focus on spring and summer travel to lesser-known parts of Britain, and short-stay visits in the autumn and winter, especially to London. 
• Publicity events feature London’s famous Pearly Kings and Queens, the Loch Ness Monster and medieval performers. 
• BTA’s promotions budget exceeds £1 million for the first time, resulting in more than 60 campaigns held throughout the year in 47 in European markets. 
• Two European markets run advertising for the first time in four years: Austria and Finland, involving Thomson Thoresen and Sealink in Austria, and British Airways, Tor Line and Silja in Finland.

  1977  

• The Royal Silver Jubilee sees lots of events unfold for BTA’s overseas promotions. Our Operation Friendship campaign invites thousands of people around the world who have served in Britain, either in a military or civilian capacity, to make a return pilgrimage here during the Silver Jubilee. Invitees receive vouchers offering savings on food and accommodation. Overseas promotions include a tour by ‘Forces’ Sweetheart’ Dame Vera Lynn in Canada and US giving it ‘unprecedented coverage’ for Britain across the States.
• A North American workshop attracts 53 producers who met almost 200 US tour operators in LA and New York.
• The Youth Travel Workshop in Edinburgh attracts a record number of suppliers who meet overseas buyers from 31 countries. Workshops also held in Rome and Amsterdam. 
• BTA’s Come to Britain campaign promotes UK regions in newspapers. 

1978  

• The first British Travel Centre opens in Frankfurt, as a partnership between BTA, British Rail and British Airways, as a one-stop shop for visitors.
• BTA takes on overseas marketing services for the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, the Isle of Man Tourist Board, the States of Jersey Tourism Committee and the States of Guernsey Tourist Committee. 
• We produce a map of London hotels showcasing its huge stock of bookable rooms. This is a response to a press comment claiming London is ‘full’ over summer. The map goes down well in the States.
• BTA increases its programme of partnering with non-tourism brands with its Come to Britain   on-pack promotion with Kellogg’s. It results in thousands of enquiries from Germany. 

Our history between 1980 to 1989

• World Travel Market for the first time at London’s Olympia.
• BTA raises funding from joint ventures with trade, local authorities and regions – a first as the source of half of its total marketing spend. 
• BTA sets up a small office in Singapore to strengthen ties and grow markets with the Middle East and the Far East.
• BTA initiates action with trade support to improve travel opportunities for disabled people as part of the 1981 International Year of Disabled People.
• A new office opens in Vienna.
• Campaigns focus on off-peak travel from nearby European countries, focusing on activities such as motoring holidays in the south of England, East Anglia, the north of England and Scotland. A total of 116 different adverts are run in 28 countries and four multi-market areas: Middle East, Far East, North and West Africa, Central and South America. A separate campaign is run in BTA’s new market: Taiwan.
• Campaign, London is… Free for Children, is run in Denmark with ferry network Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab (DFDS) offering a free place for a child with each paying adult, to visit the UK. It also includes free entry to 24 attractions. The campaign results in 3,500 children, along with 4,000 fare-paying adults, visiting the UK.
• Of BTA’s total promotional spend overseas, half now comes from trade or revenue earned by the Authority through promotional and publishing services.
• In November, BTA organises the Women and Tourism conference which demonstrates new opportunities for exchange visits through its Meet the British schemes. These reach young people in language schools and introduce visitors to local communities.
• British Spa towns become a focus alongside the Spas Committee.
• Britain receives more than two million visitors from the US who spend a record £784 million – thanks to the most successful year of the Come to Britain campaign. Vigorous marketing and the strength of the dollar against the pound contributes to this American success story.
• Plans are put into place to introduce computerised information services on a global scale.
• Event, Heritage 84 ,  develops with trade as a theme for overseas promotion. It encompasses anniversaries, events, festivals, ceremonies, cultural activities and Christian heritage. 
• This is the most successful year ever for the Come to Britain campaign, breaking every record with almost 14 million overseas visitors (up 10% on year before) coming to Britain and spending £5.3 million. Britain is earning more from visitor spend than some of the top tourism spots including Mexico, Austria, Switzerland and Germany. It’s also running about level with others such as France and Italy. US visitors to the UK contribute a good chunk of this growth as their spend rises by 31% on the year before, establishing it as a ‘billion-pound market in its own right’.
• This year also sees, for the first time, more British people holidaying on home soil, with 41 million taking a domestic trip of four nights or more in the UK and spending £3,800 (up 1% on a previous year). The number of Britons on business travel also increased. 
• BTA’s Strategy and Growth 1984 to 1988 is published to help tourism planning and marketing by local authorities and the industry.
• Heritage 84, BTA’s biggest multi-stranded international promotion to date launches to the industry. It’s designed to stimulate packages, exhibitions, trails and events and to build on Britain’s ever-popular heritage appeal. 
• By January much of BTA and English Tourism Board’s re-organisation is complete and a new joint head office is created, located at Thames Tower in Hammersmith.
• Heritage 85 takes place with the participation of the Treasure Houses of Britain exhibition in Washington DC.
• A new campaign brands Britain for All Seasons (nicknamed Operation Off-Peak) launched in early 1985, and encompasses literature, advertising and public relations. 
• Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher opens the new British Travel Centre in London, this time a partnership between BTA, British Rail and American Express.
• US visitor numbers drop in early 1986, this recovers by the end of the year. In fact, 1986 becomes the second-best year for British tourism up to now.
• The role of tourism as a key jobs’ provider is recognised by the government through its launch of Action for Jobs in Tourism ,  which gets lots of our support.
• The launch of all-weather leisure facilities such as Centre Parcs contributes to Britain’s growing image as a year-round destination.
• BTA organises the ACCESS UK conference, alongside phone company, British Telecom. BTA also produces four home video cassettes to meet the trend. 
• BTA continues to co-sponsor the leading travel trade event, the World Travel Market at Olympia London, attracting more than 35,800 trade visitors, up 31% on the previous year. 
• A new BTA initiative: BRAVO, a technology action group gets trade backing and presents plans for a travel industry-owned commercial company that uses tech to link reservation sales systems used by travel agents around the world to British products online.
• Marketing activities focus on restoring visitor numbers from the US, increasing visits from Europe, pioneering new markets and segments and expanding business travel in Northern Europe.
• Joint marketing partners include   Burberry, Blue Arrow Employment Agency and Jaguar to help promote Britain abroad. 
• The English Tourist Board’s first-ever tourism awards, the England for Excellence Awards launch, the ceremony is 16 November 1988, held at the Park Lane Hilton, London.
• A record number of visitors come from Germany thanks to new routes being opened in Northern Europe. Four travel trade markets are held in four German cities, attracting 20,000 visitors. 
• In the Netherlands, a Discovering Britain advertising campaign involves five major ferry companies. 
• A major new campaign aimed at Japanese women launches: Ladies Britain to encourage more women travellers from Japan. A long-term strategy is to promote Britain’s ‘softer and more feminine’ side as part of the larger Britain Welcomes Japan campaign.
• Business travel grows from India with twice-weekly Boeing 757 services from London run by Royal Nepal Airlines. Eight trade partners join a BTA mission to Madras, Bombay and Delhi. Six trade partners visit Pakistan, and six Pakistani agents also visit the UK.

Our history between 1990 to 1999

• Joint promotions this year include a venture with B&B GB and the Farm Holiday Bureau which introduces 135-member farmhouses into a central booking system. Cultural promotions run with the British Arts Festivals Association and the Society of West End Theatre. 
• We work with British Rail International to produce Discover Britain in six languages and a with a total print run of 1.4 million copies.
• More than 400 British suppliers take part in British Tourist Authority (BTA) workshops in Edinburgh, London and Bath, with around 1,000 overseas buyers. 
• BTA’s first TV advertising campaign breaks in France backed by all six cross-channel sea carriers and aimed at independent French motoring visitors.
• BTA celebrates 25 years in Japan and takes the lead in opening an office in Osaka in recognition of the growing value of the Kansai region to international travel.
• In February 1992 Destination Britain, the first full-scale tourism workshop is held overseas in Ostend, Belgium. European and long-haul buyers are come to meet British suppliers and take part in fam’ trips.
• A new BTA travel centre opens in Stockholm to give visitors a chance to plan itineraries, buy travel and entertainment tickets and book accommodation. 
• BTA wins nine awards around the world, including USA, Australia, France and Germany, for its marketing efforts over the year. 
• BTA supports a campaign to keep London buses red after plans were put in place to privatise LDN buses. Losing the red colour would deprive the capital of one of its most pertinent symbols and marketing tools.
• A 24-hour fax back service launches in Japan, where people can ask for information on Britain to be sent by fax. BTA also releases the Mook , a magazine guide for Japanese visitors.
• Our activities are responsible for around £750 million or 7.5 per cent of the total inbound tourism spend. For every £1 of public money invested in the BTA, £23 is generated for the British economy.
• We support a campaign to change Sunday Trade Law in order to allow large shops to open for six hours on a Sunday.
• The US commemorates the 50th anniversary D-Day campaign to encourage Second World War veterans to commemorate here in Britain.
• Our research segmentation [research on specific groups of customers] of USA visitors includes the Britophile – a repeat visitor who knows a lot about Britain and likes to stay in bed and breakfast accommodation. 
• We begin to look more at market segmentation. We find out what appeals to them and how to deliver it, for example: what appeals to Dutch motorcycling enthusiasts and US theatregoers?
• A new toll-free number comes to the US and provides information about travel to Britain including weather, accommodation and theatre, and gets 540,000 calls a month.
• BTA will only promote accommodation that subscribes to nationally agreed quality standards.
• BTA’s new website, Visitbritain.com   launches with plans to tailor the site to local markets in the USA, Asia and Europe.
• BTA encourages Value Added Tax (VAT) to be slashed from its current 17.5% to 8%. This move expects to attract 10 million extra visitors in four years (by 2000).
• In September, BTA’s new tourism marque is unveiled by Secretary of State for Culture, Chris Smith.
• Comedy character Mr Bean promotes Britain to German visitors with Have you Bean to Britain ? peel off stickers allowing visitors to order information packs about Britain.
• The ‘brash, bright and abrasive magazine’ UK 99 The Guide, aimed at under 25-year-olds, is distributed to BTA offices. Around 40,000 copies worldwide are produced. Sponsored by National Express, the magazine tells readers: ‘If you’re looking for nothing more from your visit to Britain than the Changing of the Guard and Westminster Abbey you’re probably on the wrong side of 40’.
• Britain Now is a three-year marketing campaign in the lead up to the millennium. Its brochure features 15 separate routes that overseas visitors can follow to experience 2,000 years of British history.
• Around 50 ‘millennium Britain’ events are held in 27 overseas markets.
• Visitbritain’s website wins the International ENTER Award for Best National Tourist Office site. It also wins Best Official Website of all 29 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. 
• During this year BTA focuses marketing efforts on six global segments: Youth, Families, DINKS (Double Income, No Kids), Empty Nesters, Seniors and Business Tourism.
• With the millennium ahead, BTA runs a Britain: Now Is The Time campaign, capitalising on £5 billion National Lottery investment into Britain’s cultural and environmental heritage. 
• The   English Tourism Council (ETC) is established.  

Our history between 2000 to 2009

• A global youth campaign launches in February to attract more 17-to-25-year olds to Britain around website uktheguide.com.
• As part of the campaign, BTA Ireland invites five of Britain’s coolest DJs to take part in a tour of Britain: Right Here, Right Now running across Ireland’s six largest student campuses and student unions, along with ads on youth radio stations. More than 100,000 postcards are distributed in cafes, bars and campuses.
• A special Britain supplement is produced for the Spring 2000 issue of Student Traveller, sent to more than 85 campuses across Canada.
• Apart from youth, other campaigns target key segments of families such as the Family Britain campaign; Double Income No Kids (DINKS) (via film tourism promotion); Empty Nesters (Jewels of Britain campaigns focusing on premium hotels) and Seniors (Walking Britain campaign).
• BTA’s new industry website visitbritain.com/ukindustry launches to provide information for tourism professionals, while the consumer site visitbritain.com is given a makeover. Meanwhile, visitbritain.com wins Best Website in the Observer Travel Awards in July.
• In February, the first cases of foot and mouth disease are discovered. BTA’s immediate action group (IAG) meets daily to help co-ordinate activity and show Britain is still a safe to visit.
• A three-year plan to expand the cruise industry is developed. The Cruise UK plans introduce new destinations and attractions near ports of call, developing broader itineraries around Britain and attracting new cruise lines.
• In November, BTA launches the Britain is Magical campaign to coincide with the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. BTA’s special 1-800-HEDWIG hotline is besieged by American and Canadian Potter fans interested in Britain.
• VisitBritain.com is named Best National Tourist Office Website in the Travel Weekly Asia Golden Web Awards in March.
• BTA becomes the world’s first National Tourist Office to open an Arabic language website. Inbound visits and spend from the Middle East and India visitors grow, inspired partly by ten blockbuster Bollywood movies being shot here. A Bollywood movie map launches to highlight film locations to coincide with the trend.
• The English Tourism Council (ETC) forms the Tourism Cabinet to review the national situation following the foot and mouth disease outbreak, and coordinate information and activity. Funding worth £3.8 million is received to promote domestic tourism. It is used to set up a visitor information hotline, which operates for ten hours a day over 12 weeks. The national hotline answers more than 21,000 calls providing information and the message that the countryside is open for business. In addition, marketing activity takes place, for example: England - The Great Getaway promotes day visits. We also launch Short Breaks, Long Memories, a campaign run in partnership with 11 large tour operators including Hilton, Hoseasons and more. In addition, three websites are made: an information portal and news and events. Together the three sites receive more than 8 million hits in just two months.
• The Golden Jubilee in June sees BTA launch a £43 million Only in Britain campaign across seven markets. This helps tourism recover from the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001 and the effects of 9/11. The campaign sees an additional 1.1 million visits in 2002 to 2003. Britain is one of only three European countries to experience any increase in visits from the US that year. The Only in Britain campaign is heralded as a ‘textbook’ example of tourism recovery marketing and crisis comms strategy; unsurprisingly it was short-listed for a national PR award.
• Following the foot and mouth outbreaks and September 11 terrorist attacks in New York, BTA launches UK OK, its own £5 million recovery marketing campaign, advertising Britain as the place to visit in 2002.
• On 1 April VisitBritain – the new organisation formed by the merger of the British Tourist Authority and the English Tourism Council – launches with new responsibilities to market England to the British. It launches the first England marketing campaign in a decade based on four themes: Experience, Explore, Discover and Relax.
• Royal Tourism Day is on June 10. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh open the Britain and London Visitor Centre on Regent Street to celebrate Britain’s tourism industry.
• Visitbritain.com wins World’s Leading Tourism Authority Internet Site at the World Travel Awards.
• Enjoy England Short Break campaign launches in European markets of Ireland, France, Germany and the Netherlands.
• New website and campaign to promote business tourism is established under the banner Meet England.
• Official announcement is made that London has won its bid to host the 2021 Olympic Games. VisitBritain’s strategy was not just to promote the few weeks of the Games but to make full use of the opportunities to promote Britain before, during, and after. Its aim is to reach new customers in emerging markets and refresh Britain’s appeal in established markets.
• VisitBritain runs SeaBritain 2005 – a year-long festival of more than 1,000 events exploring Britain’s maritime history. It explores the way the sea touches our lives and commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.
• The Waterside England campaign is created to support SeaBritain 2005 – to generate consumer interest in waterside leisure activities.
• VisitBritain implements a new three-year strategy for 2006 to 2009.
• Enjoy England campaign launches with TV and magazine advertisements as well as an Enjoy England poster campaign done in partnership with train company GNER.
• VisitBritain’s largest film tourism marketing campaign kicks off. It includes Visit Da Vinci Code microsites which get translated into five languages. The CodeBreaker Sweepstake that runs alongside this project in 42 markets wins a Gold Reggie Award from the Promotions Marketing Association of America.
• In October, we hold Discovery, a meeting and incentive travel workshop. Discovery facilitates meetings between 80 UK meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions tourism suppliers (MICE) and 80 international buyers.
• The Storybook England campaign attracts 30,000 visitors to the dedicated microsite in its first week.
• Visitbritain.com wins the World’s Leading Tourism Authority Internet Site at the World Travel Awards.
• The second stage of the US-focused campaign BRIT generates over half a million website hits in under three months.
• Visitbritain.com wins Travelmole’s Best Tourism Board Website Award.
• Destination Britain, VisitBritain’s annual mission in China is hosted for the first time, with 88 overseas buyers and 2,500 onto one appointment for UK suppliers to meet these key decision makers.   
• LoveUK Facebook page gets created in December.
• VisitEngland is financially separated from VisitBritain and a new Chair of the Board and Chief Executive are appointed. 

Our history between 2010 to 2019

• VisitBritain launches a new marketing for Britain: Britain – You’re Invited. This coincides with a deliberate shift away from local micro-campaigns to three major global campaign themes: classic, dynamic and luxury, all using the new strapline.
• VisitBritain launches its corporate social media accounts: Twitter (@VisitBritainBiz) and LinkedIn (VisitBritain).
• VisitBritain hosts its first online annual review.
• The then Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport announces the result of a comprehensive spending review ,  which reduces VisitBritain’s grant-in-aid by 34%. We reduce our physical presence from 35 to 21 overseas markets, based in 24 key cities. These markets provide a wide geographic spread across the world, accounting for 75% of inbound tourism spend.
• April sees the large-scale Value Campaign launch helping to promote an advantageous exchange rate in Britain for visitors from Europe and America.
• VisitEngland launches as the strategic leadership body representing the public and private sector stakeholders of English Tourism.
• After 24 years in Hammersmith, VisitBritain moves head office to share with other government departments in Victoria, London.
• The Prime Minister establishes a £100 million public and private partnership to attract visitors to the UK over the four years from 2011 to 2015. The four-year marketing programme, GREAT Britain – You’re Invited, aims to enhance the UK’s position as one of the world’s leading destinations for international tourism. We pledge to deliver four million extra visitors; £2 billion extra visitor spend and 50,000 new jobs.
• VisitBritain launches its first global TV advertisement in 10 years — celebrities, including Dame Judi Dench, Dev Patel, Jamie Oliver, Rupert Everett and Twiggy, offer a warm and personal invitation to potential visitors.
• Additional funding is awarded to VisitBritain for a GREAT Britain tourism image campaign as part of a wider initiative to highlight why Britain is a GREAT place to visit, and in which to study, do business and invest.
• VisitEngland releases its first-ever results on domestic day visits in the UK, in partnership with VisitWales and Visit Scotland. The survey reveals that in 2011 British residents took 1.5 billion tourism-related day trips in the UK spending £54 billion.  In England, Britons took 1.3 billion trips, spending £44 billion.
• VisitEngland launches its biggest-ever domestic campaign, Holidays at Home are GREAT, to encourage Britons to take a staycation. March sees a TV advert air featuring national treasures Stephen Fry, Julie Walters, Rupert Grint and Michelle Dockery.
• VisitEngland launches English Tourism Week , a corporate campaign, designed to champion English tourism and raise awareness of its enormous contribution to the UK economy, government, media and stakeholders. It has since developed a consumer element encouraging businesses such as accommodation providers, attractions and other related sectors to get involved by putting on special events and offers during the week. VisitEngland launches  Tourism Superstar,  in partnership with national paper, Mirror. The campaign aims to recognise one individual working in tourism who has gone above and beyond what’s needed in their job to give visitors a warm welcome. Ten finalists face a public vote on the Mirror website. The first winner is Alan Fiddler, a taxi driver from North Shields.
• VisitEngland teams with Disabled Go to launch a free online training course for businesses to learn how to deliver an excellent service for their disabled visitors and guests.
• International tourism is already our third-largest earner of foreign exchange and contributed £3.2 billion to the nation’s coffers directly in taxation in 2012.
• We supply information to some 8,600 journalists from 102 countries throughout the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. From the London Media Centre, VisitBritain also delivers 200 promotional events such as media briefings, hospitality and opportunities to interview our spokespeople.
• Following activity in the build up to and during the Olympics Games,the research conducted after the Olympics shows that Britain’s ranking for ‘overall national brand’, ‘culture’ and ‘welcome’ all improve. Inbound tourism visits and spend are record-breaking each year from 2012 to 2017. Interestingly, the Olympics in 1948 saw record inbound tourism visits that year.
• The post-Games phase of our marketing programme (Memories are GREAT Britain) starts the day after the Games end and ran until March 2013.
• A major James Bond-themed campaign, a first fully integrated digital campaign, launches in October 2012, capitalising on the 50th anniversary of the iconic character in conjunction with the release of the new Bond film, Skyfall.  
• VisitEngland’s Holidays at Home and GREAT campaign wins Best Consumer Campaign at the Public Relations and Communications Association Awards 2012. 
• Deloitte, with Oxford Economic publishes a report (commissioned by VisitBritain) entitled Tourism: jobs and growth, The economic contribution of the tourism economy in the UK. (PDF, 3.93 MB)  The report shows that tourism is on the up and is expected to rise by 6% this year. It finds the tourism economy delivers £127 billion in GVA – the value of goods and services produced – accounting for 90% of the UK’s GDP.
• Having hosted a successful Olympic and Paralympic Games last year, evidence is emerging that the world’s perceptions of Britain is changing as ranking for ‘overall nation brand’ and ‘culture’ moves up a scale (Anholt GfK Nation Brands Index, November 2012), and for the first time Britain is in the top ten for its welcome.
• The World Economic Forum (WEF) now considers Britain to be the fifth most competitive visitor economy in the world − a rise from seventh in 2011. In April, the then Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport launches VisitBritain’s long-term tourism growth strategy, for Britain. (PDF, 4.53 MB) It aims to attract 40 million international visitors a year, and increase spending to £13.3 billion by 2020.
• In March, Great China Welcome Charter launches, with a new charter mark to be used by hospitality businesses to show Chinese visitors they are ready and welcoming, by including information in Mandarin. The aim is to receive 650,000 Chinese visitors - spending £1.1 billion - by 2020.
• A £10m Northern regional tourism funding programme is announced by the Deputy Prime Minister late in the year. The Northern Tourism Growth Fund (NTGF) aims to promote the North of England through a programme of business visits and events, consumer leisure marketing, press and PR, and travel trade activities. A £10 million tranche from government is met with funding from partners in the public and private sectors, and hopes to ‘change perceptions of the North’ while also growing leisure and business visitors.
• The GREAT UK Challenge Fund launches – as part of the overall GREAT campaign, its initiative around education, tourism, trade and investments throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to grab market opportunities overseas.
• The £5m Government-funded South West Tourism Growth Fund (SWTGF), supported by an estimated £2.2m from partners in the public and private sectors, was part of a collaborative approach to promote South West England overseas and to deliver economic growth in the short and medium-term.
• The Discover England fund launches, with £40 million to be allocated over the next three years to ensure England stays competitive in the global tourism industry. Focusing on strong growth potential of inbound tourism, customers find new places to explore outside of London. This is partly done by improving transport connections and improving online booking.
• We win Best Marketing Campaign for our GREAT China naming campaign at the Travel Marketing Awards in March.
• Marketing Campaign of the Year for our GREAT China naming campaign at the CIM Marketing Excellence Awards in April.
• We get gold in the Service Quality category for our Northern Tourism Growth Fund at the China Tourist Welcome (CTW) Awards presented by China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI), again in April.
• Discover England Fund Pilot (DEF) Projects focus on a number of areas over the next two years including: Golf Tourism, Gardens and Gourmet, South West Coast Path, England’s Seafood Coast, The Great West Way, Growing Manchester as an International Gateway and Growing New Audiences for England’s Heritage Product.
• We win Best Global Partnership for the Social Travel Summit Inverness at the PR Week Global awards in May.
• The next grant stream of the Discover England Fund is to fund large-scale projects for years two and three (2017 to 2019) and aims to develop world-class bookable English tourism products, targeting the right customers at the right time. We invite partners to apply to work on developing world-class English tourism products that respond to international customer demand, and have the ability to be bookable and distributed through new and existing channels, join-up product offerings across geographies and develop a partnership approach across DMOs and LEPs.
• An extended period for Year four of the DEF is granted for 2019 to 2020 to ensure delivery.
• Winners of Europe’s Leading Marketing Campaign, 24 hours in the UK, at the World Travel Awards in June.
• We bag Best European National Tourism Organisation in India by The India Travel Awards in December.
• Placed third for best social media for French foreign destinations by WeLikeTravel, as well as the Best Publishing Website for VisitBritain.com  at the WebAwards, both in September.
• Inbound tourism is one of the UK’s most valuable export industries and its third largest service export, worth more than £28 billion to the economy.
• The new Tourism Data Hub launches. It shows the latest trends and spends, allowing businesses to better target overseas visitors. It creates 10,000 tourism-related apprenticeships, and also aims for the UK to be the most accessible destination for disabled visitors.
• VisitBritain takes a sweep of Webby Awards for its I Travel For campaign and Official Honoree, for its VisitBritain/British Airways/American Airline partnership in the US, both in April.
• Discover England Fund gets a further £5.5 million of new funding to deliver the fifth year. All existing large-scale projects are eligible to apply for additional funding in light of COVID-19 and focuses on ‘up-weighting of domestic activity to aid the recovery of the tourism products and creating and maintaining trade relationships for when key international markets re-open’.

Our history between 2020 to 2022

• As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps the world, the tourism industry is one of the first and hardest hit sectors. The British Tourist Authority announces its objectives to support the sector to ensure its healthy rebound, focusing on things like Government advisory, industry support and communication, recovery preparation and marketing opportunities. Staff welfare, business continuity and compliance are also a focus.
• In February, we celebrate the 50 th anniversary of VisitBritain/VisitEngland with a special event at the Tower of London which is attended by the then Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, (now HRH King Charles III and HRH Queen Camilla).
• June sees the launch of the We’re Good to Go industry standard to help businesses recover and encourage visitors to feel safe enough to book. Created in partnership with the national tourism organisations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the We’re Good to Go industry standard reassures customers that businesses are adhering to the Government’s COVID-19 health guidance on health, safety and cleanliness.
• VisitEngland launches a series of business recovery video case studies to showcase the resilience, innovation and adaption of tourism in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In May, we hold our first virtual English Tourism Week to champion the sector and pledge support to its recovery. The slogan “I support English Tourism” is widely shared on social media by industry, government and ministers, wider related industries and other stakeholders.
• In August, the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence take place virtually for the first time in its 31 year history.
• Our domestic Escape The Everyday campaign launches in September to inspire 25-34-year-olds to book short breaks across the UK by showcasing the breadth of experiences available to them to escape and explore.
• We also launch a new Business Events campaign: Events Reimagined, to boost the international recovery of the sector, to reboot, refresh and creatively reimagine its future.
• The Destination Management Companies’ and Inbound Tour Operators’ Amplification and Distribution Fund launches. The Fund provides cash grants to destination management companies (DMCs) and inbound tour operators for sales and marketing activity, and is aimed at converting pent-up demand for travel into visits to Britain in 2023 and beyond. 
• In February, we announce a partnership with the World Travel and Tourism Council to enable UK businesses that have signed up to the We’re Good to Go industry standard scheme to be automatically issued with the international Safe Travels stamp to reassure international visitors that their business adheres to COVID-19 health and safety guidance.
• We continue with the Escape The Everyday campaign with a new spring toolkit for industry to stimulate bookings for domestic trips and overnight breaks in the UK for the spring and summer season.
• In the run-up to the G7 Summit in Cornwall, we showcase Britain as a visitor destination globally to encourage recovery of inbound tourism and tap into ‘pent-up demand for travel’ by international visitors.
• Over the summer, we celebrate Japan Post’s 150 th anniversary with a very cute campaign to inspire Japanese visitors to discover and book a visit to the UK with the Japan Post’s mascot, Posukuma Bear. The successful social media campaign encourages the industry to help the bear experience British culture by visiting iconic landmarks and destinations across Britain and post photos across various channels including Instagram, Twitter and Facebook showcasing the best of Britain to Japanese people.
• In 2021 two new documents are published that shape the ongoing development of the visitor economy for England and Britain: the Government’s Tourism Recovery Plan, which challenges the industry to become more resilient, sustainable, inclusive and innovative, and the ambitious Independent Review of Destination Management Organisations (DMOs), out in September, and led by our then Chair of the VisitEngland Advisory Board, Nick de Bois CBE.
• In September 2021 our Domestic Support Fund for business events award a total of £200,000 to kick start the industry.
• In October we partner with Camelot to launch the National Lottery Days Out campaign to boost domestic tourism across the UK and support visitor attractions and experiences. The campaign offers lottery ticket holders a discount voucher worth £25 off top attractions via the VisitBritain Shop and Tourism Exchange GB (TXGB).
• We renew our partnership with Channel 4 to launch a second series of Mission: Accessible, exploring Britain’s accessible tourism offer, with comedian Rosie Jones.
• Our flagship international trade event, ExploreGB, is held as a virtual event for the first time in March 2021.
• Early in the year our Head of Business Support Ross Calladine is appointed as Disability and Access Ambassador for tourism by the Government.
• In February, we launch our £10 million ‘Welcome to Another Side of Britain’ international campaign to drive back inbound tourism.
• February also sees the launch of a partnership with the Family Holiday Charity and DCMS on the new England for Everyone Family Holiday Fund, to help 800 struggling families who were facing difficult challenges such as caring responsibilities or lower incomes, to have a short domestic break.
• In March, Patricia Yates steps up as CEO of VisitBritain/VisitEngland following the departure of Sally Balcombe.
• In the run-up to our annual trade event, ExploreGB, we run a number of educational visits across Britain for 50 international travel trade buyers from key markets including USA, France, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, Nordics, Italy and Spain.
• In June, the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence take place at the Library of Birmingham, to announce and celebrate the winners.
• During July and August, the country was awash with high-profile celebratory events which puts Britain on the world stage. These include the Late HM Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, alongside the Queen’s Baton Relay, and the national Unboxed festival which celebrates creativity around the country. These events gave us opportunities to showcase Britain’s warmth, welcome and diversity globally through our Welcome to Another Side of Britain international consumer campaign.
• In the run-up to the Games we also ramp up our international B2B activity to help drive visits through hosting educational visits for more than 40 top travel trade buyers, tour operators and trade media from Australia, Canada and India in and around Birmingham and the West Midlands, in partnership with the West Midlands Growth Company.
• Late in the year we launch a second round of the £450,000 Destination Management Company (DMC) and Inbound Tour Operator Amplification and Distribution Fund to help develop and market tourism to Britain.
• In November, the DCMS announces that the North East of England region has been selected for the new Destination Development Partnership (DDP) pilot, one of the recommendations made in its response to the Independent Review of Destination Management Organisations in England. The DDP will look at developing new initiatives to attract visitors and investment to the region with a view to rolling out further DDPs across England. The £2.25 million project is managed by VisitEngland alongside our work to develop Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs).
• A new pilot programme, The Gateway Innovation Fund, launches (from November 2022 to May 2023) with a budget of up to £750,000 to help DMOs and others deliver international marketing targeting new experience seekers. We launch a dedicated hub on our consumer websites in Australia, Canada and India (as well as our global site) using the Commonwealth Games as a hook to boost awareness, build familiarity, and educate audiences ready to book travel during and after the Games.

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Everything you need to inspire your clients. Discover new products, experiences and itinerary ideas – plus useful resources and the latest market insights.

Reach new customers and increase your profitability. Drive sales with our tools, events and training, find out about quality assessment and get expert guidance from the England Business Advice Hub.

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Share of IT expenditure in the tourism industry in the UK 2019-2020, by purpose

Distribution of it expenditure in the travel and tourism industry in the united kingdom (uk) in 2019 and 2020, by purpose.

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

‘Cosy’ city ‘packed full of history’ named UK’s worst to visit

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Carlisle has officially been named the worst city to visit in the UK. But if you look a little deeper, this overlooked spot might just surprise you. 

‘The whole art of yawning might have been learned there’ said Keats of the Cumbrian town, which came last in an independent study of 69 cities across the country.

The research, by The Telegraph, ranked cities for tourism on hospitality and amenities, culture and heritage, nature and green space and transport. 

While the likes of Bath and Wells scored highly in all categories, Carlisle totalled just 43 out of a potential 250 points. The location received 16 for hospitality, 15 for nature and green spaces, 8 for culture and heritage, and a measly 4 for transport.

Top 10 best cities to visit in the UK

• Bath: 248 points out of 250
• Wells: 237/250
• Bristol: 231/250
• Oxford: 228/250
• Edinburgh: 226/250
• St Albans: 221/250
• Cambridge: 214/250
• Ripon: 208/250
• Worcester and Canterbury: 206/250
• London: 203/250

Via The Telegraph .

Part of the reason for this – as well as the city not being host to any Michelin-listed restaurants – is a lack of high-rated pubs, hotels and museums, alongside a crime rate that’s less than favourable. 

However, the publication highlighted: ‘Carlisle is not a horrible place though, by any means.’

And although it was described by one Tripadvisor reviewer as ‘a funny old town’, there are plenty of reasons to choose it for your next UK city break.

Why you should visit Carlisle

Carlisle is one of Britain’s oldest cities, with a castle built in 1092 by William the Conqueror’s son that was an important site in the centuries-long battle between the English and Scots. Hadrian’s Wall also starts there, and as a result, parts of the city are built into the structure. 

Often referred to as ‘the Great Border City’, Carlisle sits right at the top of the M6 and marks the very end of England, just before you hit Scotland. It’s just a short drive from the Lake District and so close to Scotland that you can walk there. 

It’s described as a ‘gateway city’ which writer Ruth Bushi explains in The Independent ‘means people come here to go somewhere else, but there’s no insult in it’. 

However, Scottish Field travel writer Megan Amato comments , ‘Carlisle is packed full of history,’ adding that it ‘has much more to offer than as a refuelling stop on the way to the Lake District.’

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Another reviewer on StudentHut says: ‘Small cosy city that makes it easy to get around, with beautiful history and architecture to explore during the day and a surprisingly eventful nightlife.’

What to do in Carlisle

As already mentioned, the city has lots to offer for history lovers, with Carlisle Castle, Hadrian’s Wall and the Citadel. There’s also the Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery where you can find local history nestled amongst classic art exhibitions and indie films. 

If you like your food, be sure to read up on what farmers markets and food festivals are happening, as there’s an array of events throughout the year. There’s also an eclectic mix of gourmet pubs, small restaurants and cafes.

@shaw.snare #Placestovisitinengland #history #outlander #castle #castles #carlisle #scottishhistory #britishhistory #cumbria #tourism ♬ Lofi – Domknowz

Abbey Street is worth a visit too, home to a mix of cuisines, brunch cafes and the legendary Vinyl Cafe, which is an all-in-one record shop, live music venue and cafe.

Or if walking and exploring is your thing, Carlisle offers sprawling parks such as Bitts Park and Rickerby Park, alongside the gorgeous countryside of the Lakes and Scottish border. 

How to get to Carlisle

It takes just over three hours to get to Carlisle by train from London. According to Trainline, there are normally 48 trains per day for this journey, and ticketsstart from £18 when you book in advance.

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By car, it’s reachable on the M6, with the journey taking around five hours from London.

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New Schengen Visa Rules for Indian Visitors: Key Questions Answered 

Peden Doma Bhutia , Skift

April 23rd, 2024 at 5:39 AM EDT

Destinations value Indian travelers, but lengthy visa processing times lasting months act as significant deterrents. The adoption of these new regulations by European authorities reflects a proactive effort to tackle these concerns, aiming to boost tourism flow.

Peden Doma Bhutia

The European Commission has introduced a new visa “cascade” regime for Indian nationals applying for Schengen visas in India. This regime looks to offer longer-term, multi-entry Schengen visas, based on the applicant’s travel history.

Indian travel agents had been complaining of Schengen visa delays as a major challenge to the summer travel rush from India.

• How does one qualify for the longer duration visas?

The European Commission can issue a two-year multiple-entry visa after a traveler “has obtained and lawfully used two visas within the previous three years.” This demonstrates a positive travel history and compliance with previous visa regulations.

Subsequently, after granting the two-year visa, authorities may issue a five-year visa if the passport has has adequate validity remaining.

• What benefits do holders of these extended visas enjoy?

During the validity period of these visas, holders can enjoy travel rights equivalent to visa-free nationals within the Schengen area, allowing for short stays of up to 90 days within a 180-day period.

• Which countries are part of the Schengen area?

The Schengen area comprises 29 European countries, including 25 European Union member states: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, and Sweden. Additionally, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland are also part of the Schengen area.

• Are there any restrictions or conditions to these visas?

Schengen visas do not grant the right to work within the Schengen area and are for short stays only. Additionally, the visas are not purpose-bound, providing flexibility for travel within the specified period.

Industry Take

Skift also spoke to players in the Indian outbound travel industry to understand what has changed in the new Schengen visa rules.

• How is this different from the earlier visas that Schengen countries offered? Don’t they already offer multi-entry visas with longer duration to Indians?

Mahendra Vakharia, managing director of Pathfinders Holidays, said there was no standard policy of Schengen states for issuing these long-term visas earlier. Switzerland, France, Netherlands, Italy and Spain usually issued long-term visa, but it was all subjective. “With this new policy it should be a standard rule now,” Vakharia said.

• Travelers mainly complain of longer processing times, has that changed?

Here too, there is no standard processing time as it varies from country to country, according to Vakharia. “France and Spain have been processing visas within four days, and then there’s Croatia, which takes 60 days,” he said.

Processing time will not change as of now, it will take time for the visa rules to be enforced, said an industry source, while highlighting that the visa would be especially useful for corporate travelers.

What Promoted The Move?

Speaking on the possible motivations, Vakharia acknowledged various reasons, including administrative capacity constraints at embassies to cater to the huge inflow of applications.

“As there is an overwhelming demand from Indian travelers, the process of securing visa appointments has posed significant challenges , especially for travelers residing in cities lacking VFS Global centers,” he said.

The European Commission said in an statement that the decision reflects the EU-India Common Agenda on Migration and Mobility, aimed at fostering comprehensive cooperation on migration policy. Facilitating people-to-people contacts is a key aspect of this agenda, acknowledging India’s importance as an EU partner.

The decision also reflects a realization of the strong economic benefits derived through the spending power of Indian tourists. As Vakharia aptly puts it, “Why let go of the Golden Indian Goodie Bag?”

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Tags: asia monthly , europe , european commission , European summer travel , european union , india , india outbound , schengen , visa , visas

Photo credit: Park Guell in Spain. Unlike many Schengen countries, Spain has been processing visas within four days for Indian travelers. Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz / Pexels

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Wednesday 24 April 2024 07:22, UK

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• 'More important than a will': What are lasting power of attorneys and how much do they cost?
• Ian King analysis : FTSE highs - why is it happening and what does it mean for UK economy?
• Money Problem : My neighbour's trees are damaging my wall, they think they're bigger than the law - what can I do?

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Every Wednesday we get Michelin chefs, top bloggers or critics to pick their favourite Cheap Eats where they live and at home.  This week we speak to Ollie Bridgewater, executive chef at the one-starred Source at Gilpin Hotel in Cumbria.

Hi Ollie, w hat's your go-to cheap eat for a night at home?

It has to be lasagne. It can be cost-effectively put together and you can batch-cook it and pop it in the freezer to enjoy later, plus, it's a favourite of my family and friends.

To elevate the taste without any additional cost, I fry half of the meat until it's dark brown and catching, then add in the other half of meat until it is lightly browned. I then scrape all the caramelised meat off the bottom of the pan – it provides great richness and texture. 

If you wanted to indulge a little, and cost is less important, you can add a bit of Dijon mustard, sherry vinegar and truffle to the béchamel sauce, it really enhances the flavour. 

Also, don't waste wine, if you have good quality meat and season it correctly, there's no need to add this to the recipe – instead keep it in the glass and enjoy.

Can you tell us your favourite places in Lancashire where you can get a meal for two for less than £40?

Homeground , Windermere . This is my go-to brunch place of choice. Brunch is served til close and the menu has a variety of sweet and savoury options. My personal favourite is the Homeground Sarnie which includes both smoked back bacon and streaky bacon, a fried egg, smashed avocado, hash browns, caramelised red onion and leaves and is served in a sourdough ciabatta. It pairs perfectly with an Americano. They don't take reservations - you just turn up and they will seat you when they can. Quite often you will see people patiently queuing outside in rain, wind and snow, which is a great sign of their quality of food and popularity with both locals and tourists alike.

Toast , Windermere . Toast opened early last year and has been a brilliant addition to the area. Their whole concept is around serving toasted sandwiches in Shokupan bread. Shokupan is a Japanese milk loaf, which when toasted is the perfect bread for toasties – they bake the Shokupan on site daily so it's the freshest it can be. They have a range of fillings, including plant-based options, and their teriyaki pulled mushrooms toastie with pulled mushrooms, teriyaki marinade, cheese, spring onion and sweet mayo is delicious. Great to grab and go.

The Brown Horse Inn , Winster . This was actually one of the first places I dined at when I moved up to the Lake District last year. The Brown Horse is, quite simply, a really good pub. It's family-owned, has a varied food and drink offering that celebrates local produce and always guarantees a warm welcome for all – families and dogs included. It was even Cumbria's best pub and bar in last year's National Pub and Bar Awards.

Read all our Cheap Eats recommendations around the UK here ...

Earlier this week five big lenders (NatWest, Barclays, Accord, Leeds Building Society and HSBC) hiked mortgage rates amid uncertainty over when interest rates will be cut.

While UK inflation fell in March, figures came in higher than expected in America - with economists divided about what this means for the cost of borrowing here.

Some think the UK's battle with inflation is more under control and see the Bank of England easing the base interest rate from 5.25% to 5% in June (interest rates are kept high to squeeze spending, which generally brings down inflation), but other analysts suggested the Bank may delay until later in the year.

With all this speculation, we thought it was a good time to provide an overview of where average mortgage and saving rates stand as of yesterday, courtesy of data from Moneyfacts .

Mortgage rates

• The average two-year fixed residential mortgage rate is 5.83%;
• The average five-year fixed residential mortgage rate is 5.40%;
• Average two-year buy-to-let residential mortgage rate is 5.54%;
• The average two-year tracker rate is 6.09%.

Savings rates

• The average one-year fixed savings rate today is 4.57%;
• Average easy access savings rate is 3.11%;
• The average one-year fixed cash ISA rate is 4.45%;
• Average easy access ISA rate today is 3.36%.

Aberdeen is the cheapest city to get on the property ladder out of 50 analysed by Rightmove.

Carlisle is the cheapest for renters across Britain, the property site found.

At the other end of the spectrum, St Albans in Hertfordshire was named as the most expensive city to be a first-time buyer outside London.

Meanwhile, Oxford was the most expensive outside London to rent.

The research made certain assumptions about mortgage costs, including that first-time buyers in Scotland and Wales had a 20% deposit and in England a 25% deposit, all taking out a five-year, fixed-rate mortgage at average rates.

The average asking price for a property with two bedrooms or fewer in Aberdeen was £102,601, working out at around £406 monthly mortgage payments.

The average advertised rent in Carlisle was £607 per month.

These charts round-up the headline numbers...

Tesco is being monitored by the UK's supermarket regulator after it began imposing an "Amazon-style" fulfilment fee on online suppliers, according to The Times. 

The supermarket faced criticism after it imposed the fee, which is linked to processing orders, picking and shipping products, and managing returns. 

Brands and suppliers said the fee could put many of them out of business. 

Tesco argued it made the decision after its own fulfilment costs grew when it expanded its online operations.

The smallest suppliers with contracts of £250,000 or less are exempt, but bigger suppliers pay from 12p per item for branded goods and 5p for own brands.

Carpetright has been hit by a cyberattack which has prevented it from trading across its 400 UK stores for almost a week, according to a report. 

Customers have been unable to place orders in its shops since last Thursday, staff told The Times. 

A spokeswoman added that online customers were "largely unaffected" and would be able to make new orders - but the attack will still be a financial blow for the flooring chain. 

BP is rolling out a new crime logging platform and body-worn cameras to improve safety for its staff members. 

The app-based platform will allow staff to report incidents and get in touch with police, as well as helping BP to identify offenders targeting multiple sites across its business. 

The platform will also send an alert when repeat offenders or vehicles of interest are reported on the platform in the local area. 

The government has announced a UK-wide ban on wet wipes containing plastic in a bid to reduce pollution.

According to the Marine Conservation Society, 11 billion wet wipes are used in the UK each year. Of these, 90% contain plastic. 

Discarded wet wipes frequently litter Britain's beaches and eventually break down into microplastics, which contribute to water pollution and damage ecosystems.

The ban, announced yesterday, should go through parliament this summer.

Read more here ...

Rising private school fees are forcing parents to take out loans, move house or turn to taking money from relatives.

More than 71% of 2,000 people surveyed in the Saltus Wealth Index report said the rising cost of private school tuition was impacting choices regarding their children.

Mike Stimpson, a partner at Saltus, said fees had increased by 6% from 2022-23 and were likely to increase another 5% this September. 

Out of the respondents, 21% said they would have to move their children out of private school.

Private school costs average around £24,000 a year, according to The Good Schools Guide.

Rising cigarette prices are prompting more people to quit smoking.

While health concerns still remained the top reason for quitting in a survey of nearly 6,000 people, a quarter of respondents said it was down to the cost of cigarettes - up from a fifth before the pandemic. 

The average price of a packet of 20 cigarettes is more than £14. 

Highlighting the savings that could be made by quitting smoking could help more people to stop, the University College London study said. 

The FTSE-100 has hit a second all-time closing high in as many days. The index of the UK's biggest 100 listed companies, having earlier hit a new intra-day high of 8,075.52 at just after 8.24am, finished the session up 20.94 points, around 0.26%, at 8044.81.

It's worth noting, though, the Footsie has been a relative laggard this year. The S&P 500, America's top stock index, is up 6.91% so far in 2024, Japan's Nikkei 225 is up 12.81% and Germany's DAX 40 is up by 8.30%. 

The Footsie, by contrast, is up by a mere 4.05% even after the rally of recent sessions. So it can hardly be said to be doing well compared with international peers. On top of those already mentioned, the MIB in Italy is up by 13.24% this year and the CAC 40 in France by 7.46%, for example.

Nonetheless, the Footsie hitting a new record close two days running is notable.

There is no shortage of reasons why. 

The most obvious is the recent weakness in sterling. The pound hit a five-month low against an international basket of currencies on Monday following comments from Sir Dave Ramsden, a deputy governor of the Bank of England, on Friday afternoon in which he pointed to the growing likelihood of interest rate cuts in the near future. 

That has weakened the pound against the US dollar in particular. 

Since three-quarters of earnings of FTSE-100 companies are denominated in other currencies, chiefly the US dollar, a fall in the pound against those currencies makes the future earnings generated by Footsie companies - whose shares are denominated in sterling - cheaper to buy in those currencies.

That was certainly behind the big rally seen on Monday -although today sterling rallied on comments from Huw Pill, the Bank's chief economist, which suggests there is more going on. That something is the relative cheapness of the Footsie in comparison with its peers. 

The Footsie currently trades on a price/earnings (P/E) ratio of just 13.22 times - in other words, £1 invested in the index today would be repaid 13.22 years from now. 

That is cheap when set against the DAX in Germany, which trades on a P/E of 14.87 times and the CAC in France, which trades on a P/E of 15.91 times or the SMI in Switzerland, which is on 14.52 times. 

The main US indices, meanwhile, cavort along on P/E ratios of more than 20 times. Only Spain's leading stock index, the IBEX, looks cheaper than the Footsie by comparison.

The conclusion that should emphatically not be drawn is that the Footsie's recent rally is anything to do with the UK's economic outlook, even though the latter is visibly improving. 

The index is chock-full of companies that have little or nothing to do with the UK - such as Fresnillo, a Mexican gold and silver miner; Antofagasta, a Chilean copper and gold miner; and Ashtead Group, a plant and tool hire company which derives £90 in every £100 it earns from the US. 

Even companies thought of as British, such as BP, Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, Shell and Diageo, the world's biggest scotch whisky and tequila producer, derive the vast majority of their earnings outside the UK. In fact, of the 20 biggest companies in the Footsie, only one - the Lloyds Banking Group - can be said to make most of its income in the UK.

For a better gauge of how corporate Britain is doing, investors are better off looking at the FTSE 250, the next biggest 250 listed companies on the London Stock Exchange and home to household names such as Bellway, Games Workshop and ITV.

Some of these also derive a fair chunk of earnings from outside the UK, such as the cruise operator Carnival, the ingredients producer Tate & Lyle and the catalytic converters group Johnson Matthey. 

But it is also replete with companies that make most or all of their earnings in the UK, such as the property trio British Land, LondonMetric Property and Derwent London, the housebuilder Bellway and everyone's favourite sausage roll emporium Greggs.

In short, the FTSE 250 is a much better guide to sentiment towards UK companies than the FTSE-100. The bad news is that it is only up by a paltry 0.6% this year so far.

Labour has added an amendment to the government's Renters (Reform) Bill that would prevent landlords from selling a property for two years after a tenancy has begun. 

Under the rule, landlords would have to wait two years from the tenancy start date before initiating repossession proceedings. 

The bill aims to reform the private rental sector, and also includes plans to scrap "no fault" evictions, make it illegal for landlords to refuse to rent out to those on benefits or with children, and create a national landlord register. 

It is being debated tomorrow and is in the report stage, meaning MPs can consider further amendments. 

Any amendments will need to be voted through.

Other significant amendments include prevemting tenants from giving notice to quit until they have been in a property for four months. 

As tenants have to give two months' notice, this effectively means they will need to stay in a property for six months. 

Tory MP Natalie Elphicke has also added an amendment requiring landlords to pay renters and unspecified relocation fee if if they asked them to leave a property within the first two years of a tenancy.

Recent falls in inflation may have spurred talk of interest rate cuts, but the Bank of England's deputy governor has said this is not necessarily enough reason to slash rates. 

Speaking at the University of Chicago, Huw Pill said it would be better to cut rates too late rather than too early. 

He said little had changed with the inflation and interest rate situation since late March, and that there were "greater risks" associated with going too early. 

Despite optimism among some, Mr Pill said there is still a "reasonable way to go" before inflation has stabilised to the level needed for the UK to meet its 2% inflation target in a sustainable way. 

"This assessment further supports my relatively cautious approach to starting to reduce Bank rate," he said. 

Mr Pill had voted to keep the Bank rate unchanged at 5.25% in the most recent meetings of the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee in March. 

Inflation currently stands at 3.2% - the lowest rate since September 2021. 

This is still above the Bank's target of 2%. 

The next Bank rate decision is next week - but markets don't expect a cut then. June is seen as more likely - though Mr Pill's comments cast some doubt on that.

Petrol prices are exceeding 150p per litre for the first time since last November, according to new data.

Figures from the website Fuel Prices Online shows typical pump prices reached 150.1p per litre on Monday.

The average price of a litre of diesel is also at the highest level since November 2023, at 158.3p.

Experts say rising fuel prices in recent weeks can be attributed to an increase in the cost of oil and a weakening of the pound versus the US dollar.

AA fuel price spokesman Luke Bosdet said while inflation was heading downwards, petrol's rebound to 150p a litre left a "big boulder in the road".

He said: "Five days of falling wholesale costs, with the value of oil coming off the boil, offers hope that pump prices may not get much worse in the short-term.

"However, road fuel priced above 150p a litre grabs the attention of drivers and will lead some to re-tighten their belts on other spending."

The annual 100 fastest growing UK businesses list has been published, with the country's largest electric vehicle fast charging network in top spot.

Environmentally conscious companies dominate the ORESA Growth Index 2024 - with three of the top 10 companies participating in the clean and renewable energy market.

There was also success for the retail sector, with 24 businesses in the list, while the construction and logistics sectors have also seen signs of recovery since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Topping this year's list is Basingstoke-based green energy business InstaVolt, which had an annual growth rate of 362.55%.

The company is the largest owner-operator of rapid public chargers in the UK, with 1,500 charging points.

In 2022-23, the company's third financial year, its revenues hit £18.6m.

Here's the top 10...

Regional success

While London and the South East dominate the list with 59 companies, Northern Ireland has four - up from zero in the past two years. 

Companies from Yorkshire and Humber and the North East have increased from six to 10 and from zero to one respectively, while the East Midlands has gone down to six from nine in 2023. 

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World Bank scathing over UK's public spending and chances for growth

The increase in public spending in the UK is slowing down economic growth and making the country seem to be operating more like France than the US, says the World Bank's chief economist.

The recent increase in public spending has made Britain seem more like France than the United States, according to the World Bank's chief economist, Indermit Gill.

The result is a slowdown in economic growth, Gill said in an interview with The Telegraph newspaper.

"The country that used to be the most like the United States in all of Europe was the UK. And you guys decided to go and become a lot more like continental Europe," Gill pointed out.

"Take a look at the share of government spending to GDP. You look like France, not like the US."

France's GDP at 58% of public spending in 2022, is still significantly larger than Britain's. However, UK public spending, at 44% of GDP, is considerably larger than that of the US, where it represents 36% of GDP.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, UK public spending in 2019 was 38% of gross domestic product (GDP). However, it rose to nearly 50% during the peak of the 2020 pandemic after then Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced significant taxpayer subsidies to cover people's wages during lockdown.

Although spending is now down to 44% of GDP, it is still significantly higher than its pre-pandemic level. 

The country that used to be the most like the United States in all of Europe was the UK. And you guys decided to go and become a lot more like continental Europe.

Economic shocks: Where did the UK have to spend so much?

Several "economic shocks" have led the UK to increase public spending, The Telegraph pointed out.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine was one which led to a hike in energy prices and left the UK government allocating approximately £78 billion (€90 billion) for an energy support package, to subsidise bills and provided additional assistance to low-income households. At the same time, public sector employment rose from some 5.4 million before the pandemic to nearly six million by the end of 2023.

The pandemic also came with a hefty price tag. According to the OBR, the UK's official independent fiscal watchdog, the total cost of "pandemic-related support measures" in March 2022, was estimated to be £311 billion (€360 billion). This averages out to around £4,631 (€5370) per person in the UK.

Gill noted that the US is more adept at handling shocks because of its political system, which features less generous welfare, decentralised decision-making, and a readiness to allow underperforming companies to fail.

The sharp increase in public spending in the UK has also led to an historic peak in taxes as the government seeks to find ways to bring its borrowing down.

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