Data & insight · Updated August 2026
UK Tourism Statistics
How many people visit the United Kingdom, where they come from, what they spend and where they go — the latest official figures, drawn from the ONS International Passenger Survey, VisitBritain, ALVA and the WTTC. Headline numbers are for 2024, the most recent full year.
Inbound visitors
International visitors to the UK
International visits to the UK recovered to roughly pre-pandemic levels in 2024 — about 1% below the 2019 peak on a comparable basis, after the collapse of 2020–21. The chart uses VisitBritain’s modelled comparable series for 2024.
The ONS “official statistics in development” headline for 2024 is 42.6m, but that figure is inflated by a new Northern Ireland (NISRA) method and is not comparable to earlier years; VisitBritain’s modelled 40.3m is used here for the trend.
Source ONS — International Passenger Survey — 2024 final estimates (official statistics in development), published 26 Aug 2025. UK; 2024 on VisitBritain modelled basis
Visitor spending
What international visitors spend
Inbound visitors spent a nominal record of £32.5 billion in 2024. In real terms, however, that is still around 8% below 2019 once inflation is taken into account.
No reliable UK inbound-spend figure is published for 2020, so that year is omitted. Figures are nominal (not inflation-adjusted).
Source ONS — International Passenger Survey — 2024 final estimates (official statistics in development), published 26 Aug 2025. UK
Source markets
Where the UK's visitors come from
The United States is by far the UK’s biggest source market — about 5.6 million visits and £7.3 billion of spend in 2024, roughly a fifth of all inbound spending. Bars show visits; the muted figure is that market’s spend.
Source VisitBritain — Annual Inbound Update — Total UK and Nations & Regions, Final 2024 estimates. GB-level market detail
Why they come
Purpose of visit
Holidays and visiting friends or relatives (VFR) together account for three-quarters of trips. VFR reached a record in 2024, while business travel remains well below its 2019 level.
- Holiday 41%
- Visiting friends & relatives 34%
- Business 17%
- Miscellaneous 6%
- Study 1%
Source VisitBritain — Annual Inbound Update — Total UK and Nations & Regions, Final 2024 estimates. GB-level split — share of visits
Seasonality
When they visit
The summer quarter is the clear high point. The third quarter (Jul–Sep) leads on visits, spend and nights, and also has the highest spend per visit.
Source VisitBritain — Annual Inbound Update — Total UK and Nations & Regions, Final 2024 estimates. GB quarterly figures, 2024
Attractions
the UK's most-visited attractions
Nine of the UK’s ten most-visited attractions are in London, with free national museums at the top. Scotland is strongly represented too. Figures are 2024 visitor counts from ALVA members, which together drew 157.2 million visits.
Source ALVA — Association of Leading Visitor Attractions — 2024 Visitor Figures (published March 2025).
Accommodation
Hotels & occupancy
UK hotels traded strongly in 2024. London returned to pre-pandemic occupancy, while regional cities edged ahead of 2023 and are roughly back to 2019 in real terms.
Source Knight Frank — UK Hotel Trading Performance Review & Outlook (incl. STR data).
Economic impact
Tourism in the UK's economy
Travel and tourism is one of the UK’s largest sectors. The WTTC figures below are the most-cited measure of its full economic contribution; note the exact 2024 number should be read as indicative (see methodology).
London alone generates about 53% of all UK inbound visitor spend. Scotland was the standout growth story in 2024 — the only nation above its 2019 level on both visits and spend.
Source WTTC — Economic Impact Research — UK travel & tourism GDP and employment, 2024. figure revised across report vintages — indicative
Source VisitBritain — 2025 inbound forecast — 2025 forecast and the UK Government 50-million-visitors-by-2030 target.
At a glance
Fast facts
- 22% US share of UK inbound spend
- 6.9 nights Avg. length of stay (inbound)
- £763 Avg. spend per visit (inbound)
- 4.4m Scotland inbound visits (record)
- 54% London's share of UK inbound visits
- 157.2m ALVA attraction visits, 2024
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many tourists visit the UK each year?
In 2024 the UK received roughly 40 million international visits on a comparable basis (the ONS “official statistics in development” estimate is 42.6 million), broadly back to pre-pandemic levels, plus 106 million domestic overnight trips and over a billion tourism day visits within Britain.
How much do international visitors spend in the UK?
International visitors spent a nominal record of about £32.5 billion in 2024 — although that is still around 8% below 2019 once inflation is taken into account.
Which country sends the most visitors to the UK?
The United States, with about 5.6 million visits and £7.3 billion of spending in 2024 — roughly a fifth of all inbound spend and comfortably ahead of France and Germany.
What is the UK's most-visited attraction?
The British Museum, with about 6.48 million visitors in 2024, ahead of the Natural History Museum. Nine of the ten most-visited UK attractions are in London.
Is UK tourism back to pre-pandemic levels?
Broadly yes. Inbound visits in 2024 were about 1% below 2019 on a comparable basis and spend set a nominal record; Scotland is already well above 2019, while London remains slightly below.
Notes & sources
Methodology & sources
This page compiles publicly available official statistics. Every chart links to its source above. Key caveats:
- Latest data. Headline figures are for 2024. 2024 ONS International Passenger Survey estimates are classed as “official statistics in development”, are subject to revision, and the ONS does not endorse year-on-year comparisons.
- Comparable trend. The visitor chart uses VisitBritain’s modelled comparable basis for 2024 (~40.3m). The ONS “in development” headline of 42.6m is inflated by a new Northern Ireland (NISRA) method and is not comparable to earlier years.
- Nominal values. Spending figures are in cash terms and not adjusted for inflation, so the 2024 “record” is still about 8% below 2019 in real terms.
- Geography. Quarterly, purpose and market detail for 2024 is published at Great Britain level; domestic overnight and day-visit figures cover Britain. These are labelled where shown.
- Economic impact. The WTTC contribution figure has been revised upward across recent report vintages (from ~£237bn for 2022), so treat the exact 2024 number as indicative rather than precise.
Primary sources
- ONS — International Passenger Survey — 2024 final estimates (official statistics in development), published 26 Aug 2025.
- VisitBritain — Annual Inbound Update — Total UK and Nations & Regions, Final 2024 estimates.
- VisitBritain — GB Tourism Survey & GB Day Visits Survey — Domestic overnight trips and day visits, 2024 (published March 2025).
- ALVA — Association of Leading Visitor Attractions — 2024 Visitor Figures (published March 2025).
- Knight Frank — UK Hotel Trading Performance Review & Outlook (incl. STR data).
- WTTC — Economic Impact Research — UK travel & tourism GDP and employment, 2024.
- VisitBritain — 2025 inbound forecast — 2025 forecast and the UK Government 50-million-visitors-by-2030 target.