Tourism is one of the largest industries in the UK.

According to a recent Deloitte study 'The Economic Contribution of the Visitor Economy – UK and  the nations' tourism was worth £115.4bn to the UK economy in 2009 once the direct and indirect  impacts are taken into account, equivalent to 8.9% of UK Gross Domestic Product.

Tourism contributes £96.7bn to the economy in England (8.6% of GDP), £11.1bn in Scotland (10.4%), £6.2bn in Wales (13.3%) and £1.5bn in Northern Ireland (4.9%). 

The Deloitte study found that tourism would account for a similar proportion of the overall UK economy in 2020 as it did in 2008 (8.8%).

The number of jobs that tourism supports is forecast to increase by 250,000 between 2010 and 2020, from 2.645 million to 2.899 million.

One in twelve jobs in the UK is currently either directly or indirectly supported by tourism.

The long-run GVA growth rate of the visitor economy is forecast to be 3.5% per annum over the period 2010 to 2020, well ahead of the 2.9% forecast for the economy as a whole.

Tourism expenditure is forecast to grow at an annual real growth rate of 3.0% per annum over the period 2010 to 2020 according to Deloitte, with spending by inbound visitors forecast to grow at a faster rate than spending by domestic residents (4.4% versus 2.6%).

Tourism is the UK’s third highest export earner behind Chemicals and Financial Services, with inbound visitors spending more than £16bn annually and contributing over £3bn to the Exchequer.

The ‘direct’ effect of spending by tourists is estimated at £90bn in 2009 can be seen below.

In the 2011 Anholt GfK Nations Brand Index the UK moved up one place to 3rd as a 'nation brand' behind the USA and Germany. 

The UK ranked 4th out of 50 in terms of a 'Tourism' brand.  Our strongest 'Tourism' dimensions relate to being 'rich in historic buildings and monuments' and for our 'vibrant city life and urban attractions', in each case ranked 4th in the world.  

The 30.7 million overseas visitors who came to the UK in 2011 spent £17.9 billion. These figures represent a 3% increase in volume and 6% (nominal) increase in value compared with 2010.

In 2010 the UK ranked sixth in the international tourist arrivals league behind France, USA, China, Spain and Italy, accounting for 3.0% of global arrivals (3.2% in 2009).

In 2010 the UK ranked seventh in the international tourism earnings league (compared with sixth in 2007) behind the USA, Spain, France, China, Italy and Germany according to UNWTO figures.

The UK now accounts for 3.3% of international tourism receipts (3.5% in 2009).

In 2011 France, Germany and the USA were the top three markets in terms of number of visits to the UK accounting for nearly one-in-three visits.  The top three markets measured in terms of visitor spend were USA, Germany and France, accounting for just over one-quarter of visitor spend.

London accounts for 52% of all inbound visitor spend, the rest of England 35%, Scotland 8% and Wales 2%.

A separate page is dedicated to covering key Inbound Tourism Facts

In 2011 GB residents took:
- 58.4 million holidays of one night or more spending £13.0 billion
- 18.6 million overnight business trips spending £4.4 billion
- 45.7 million overnight trips to friends and relatives spending £4.7 billion

Overall the number of domestic overnight trips taken in 2011 was 9% higher than in 2010, while total spending increased by 14% in nominal terms.

In 2011, average room occupancy for all serviced accommodation throughout the UK was 64% (up 3 percentage points from 2010) according to the UK Occupancy Survey.  Average bedspace occupancy was 48% (an increase of 3 percentage points on 2010).

According to Eurostat the number of bedspaces (that is the total number of persons who can stay) in UK 'hotels and similar establishments' was 1,416,000 in 2010.

Furthermore, Eurostat estimate that the number of bedspaces in 'other collective accommodation establishments' (including holiday dwellings and tourist campsites) in the UK was 1,795,000 in 2010.

In total therefore the UK has a tourist accommodation 'bedspace' stock capable of sleeping around 3.212 million people.

Figures from TRI Hospitality Consulting confirm that one of the biggest changes in the UK accommodation stock in the past two decades has been the increasing number of branded budget hotel rooms.  In 1993 there were 10,555 such rooms whereas at the end of 2010 there were 114,974. 

The table to the right shows the top five attractions in terms of visitor admissions in 2011 based on figures from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions. 

In 2009 the number of inbound visitors who visited a museum was 7.7 million, with 4.2 million visiting an art gallery.  Visiting heritage attractions is also a very popular activity for inbound visitors with 5.8 million visiting a castle, 5 million visiting historic houses and 6.4 million visiting religious buildings or monuments.