UK travel trends in 2022 revealed
Last year saw a ‘more usual pattern of visits’ emerging after the Covid-19 pandemic
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the UK has revealed the latest findings related to travel, both to and from the country.
After normal seasonal travel trends were disrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, 2022 saw ‘a more usual pattern of visits’ emerging. Most visits to and from the UK were in the summer, peaking in August.
Before the pandemic, levels were consistent, showing the similar pattern of peaking during the summer months – particularly August. However, tourism levels in 2021 did not follow this trend, with the pattern only re-emerging in the summer of 2022.
© International Travel and Tourism from the Office for National Statistics.
Over the whole of 2022, there were 31.2 million visits to the UK – an increase of nearly 25 million visits compared to the year before. Additionally, the number of UK residents’ visits abroad increased too, from 51.8 million visits to 71 million. However, visits to and from the UK have not yet returned to the peak in 2019.
Overseas spending in the UK increased from £5.6 billion in 2021 to £26.5 billion in 2022 – an increase of almost £22 billion, but still a seven per cent decrease from 2019 levels. Overseas residents spent fewer days in the country compared with 2021, but still one day longer than pre-pandemic years: an average stay of eight nights. The average spend per day was almost the same in 2022 as in 2019 - £100 and £98 respectively – but average spend per visit remained high at £843 in 2022; this was £696 in 2019 and £875 in 2021.
When UK residents went abroad in 2022, they spent £58.5 billion – an increase of £43 billion from the year before. The average spend per visit was £823 in 2022 – two per cent higher than in 2021, but 23 per cent higher than 2019. Like overseas residents’ visits, the average number of nights away decreased compared with the previous year to an average of 11 nights, but still higher than in 2019 when the average was 10 days. The daily average spend rose too, from £69 in 2019 to £75 in 2022.
© International Travel and Tourism from the Office for National Statistics.
Holidays were the most frequent reason for visiting the UK in 2022 – making up 39 per cent of the total visits. This is a change from 2021 when visiting friends or relatives was the most popular reason, which came second in 2022.
Similarly, UK residents travelled abroad to holiday in 2022. There were 45.6 million holiday trips made by UK residents, account for almost two-thirds of visits, but still 22 per cent less than in 2019.
© International Travel and Tourism from the Office for National Statistics.
Spain and France remained the most popular countries for UK residents to visit abroad, but the US dropped from fourth in 2019 to sixth in 2022 because of Covid-19 travel restrictions. There were 15.6 million visits to Spain by UK residents in 2022, a decrease of 14 per cent from 2019.