Destinations offering rural locations or outdoor activities appeal to particular groups of visitors as do those where it is possible to watch football or other live sport. Those visiting Britain on holiday are often particularly likely to include activities such as visiting castles, museums or to explore the countryside or coast. In 2011, we sponsored specific questions in the International Passenger Survey (IPS) to find out how many visitors from overseas undertook particular activities whilst in Britain.
The results were as follows:
Activities undertaken by visitors to Britain
| Activities asked about | Visits which involved activity | Nights spent in UK* | Amount spent in UK* | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of visits (000) | % of all visits | % of holiday visits | No. of nights (000) | £(m) | |
| Visited museums or art galleries | 8,299 | 27% | 43% | 86,146 | £6,255 |
| Went to theatre / musical / opera / ballet | 2,796 | 9% | 14% | 33,838 | £2,748 |
| Visited castles or historic houses | 8,874 | 29% | 48% | 91,245 | £6,506 |
| Visited religious buildings | 6,738 | 22% | 35% | 74,920 | £4,948 |
| Visited parks or gardens | 11,081 | 36% | 54% | 114,312 | £7,826 |
| Went to countryside or villages | 5,336 | 18% | 22% | 72,418 | £4,205 |
| Went to the coast or beaches | 3,582 | 12% | 15% | 54,292 | £2,853 |
| Went shopping | 17,668 | 58% | 71% | 162,275 | £12,092 |
| Went to the pub | 13,886 | 46% | 50% | 122,645 | £9,393 |
| Went to bars or nightclubs | 3,842 | 13% | 14% | 42,495 | £3,412 |
| Attended a festival (e.g. music, food, arts) | 949 | 3% | 4% | 16,810 | £1,003 |
| Went to a live sport event (e.g. at stadium) | 1,325 | 3% | 4% | 14,673 | £1,128 |
| Took part in sports activities | 707 | 2% | 3% | 10,989 | £730 |
Source: International Passenger Survey, 2011. * By those whose visit included the activity. Nights and spend are not specifically whilst under-taking activity but throughout visit to UK
Activities in UK nations and regions
Shopping, going out to eat, drink or socialise
British shops, restaurants and pubs are major draws for international visitors and are included in most holiday visits.
| Activity | All | SW | SE | LON | EE | WM | EM | YKS | NW | NE | WL | SC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopping | 69% | 69% | 72% | 81% | 68% | 69% | 72% | 69% | 71% | 62% | 75% | 74% |
| Shopping clothes or accessories | 66% | 64% | 60% | 70% | 53% | 51% | 52% | 63% | 60% | 60% | 47% | 70% |
| Shopping for souvenirs | 58% | 54% | 57% | 60% | 42% | 49% | 45% | 55% | 43% | 66% | 57% | 68% |
| Dining in restaurants | 79% | 71% | 59% | 83% | 69% | 58% | 80% | 70% | 68% | 79% | 78% | 89% |
| Going to pubs | 48% | 53% | 42% | 53% | 45% | 55% | 61% | 56% | 66% | 77% | 58% | 70% |
| Socialising with the locals | 38% | 54% | 47% | 30% | 47% | 59% | 57% | 39% | 61% | 38% | 62% | 56% |
| Going to bars/nightclubs | 15% | 7% | 6% | 17% | 8% | 15% | 11% | 23% | 30% | 36% | 12% | 25% |
Source: International Passenger Survey 2006-2011
Visiting heritage/culture attractions
London and other urban areas attract many overseas visitors with the most popular holiday activities including visiting famous buildings, parks, gardens, and museums.
| Activity | All | SW | SE | LON | EE | WM | EM | YKS | NW | NE | WL | SC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Famous monuments or buildings | 64% | 55% | 57% | 70% | 48% | 45% | 38% | 44% | 36% | 41% | 46% | 73% |
| Parks or gardens | 52% | 59% | 52% | 64% | 48% | 37% | 46% | 38% | 25% | 23% | 35% | 56% |
| Castles | 34% | 38% | 42% | 30% | 24% | 21% | 17% | 36% | 8% | 30% | 37% | 67% |
| Religious buildings | 33% | 38% | 37% | 40% | 35% | 18% | 20% | 35% | 20% | 16% | 22% | 41% |
| Historic houses | 29% | 36% | 34% | 30% | 28% | 23% | 18% | 28% | 15% | 12% | 14% | 35% |
| Museums | 48% | 32% | 42% | 55% | 39% | 26% | 16% | 37% | 28% | 14% | 23% | 45% |
| Art galleries | 26% | 11% | 15% | 32% | 11% | 14% | 3% | 15% | 14% | 7% | 9% | 23% |
| Theatres | 18% | 7% | 6% | 24% | 8% | 9% | 4% | 3% | 9% | 4% | 2% | 5% |
| Live music | 11% | 8% | 6% | 11% | 7% | 7% | 9% | 9% | 19% | 14% | 12% | 14% |
| Festivals | 4% | 5% | 4% | 3% | 6% | 6% | 6% | 5% | 9% | 2% | 1% | 11% |
| Locations (e.g. literary, film) | 3% | 4% | 2% | 3% | 4% | 2% | 2% | 6% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 3% |
Source: International Passenger Survey 2006-2011
Visits to rural/coastal locations & participating in outdoor activities/sports
In more rural areas such as Scotland and the South West holidays are very likely to include visiting castles, villages and walking in the countryside.
| Activity | All | SW | SE | LON | EE | WM | EM | YKS | NW | NE | WL | SC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Countryside | 20% | 51% | 38% | 9% | 31% | 25% | 34% | 55% | 22% | 24% | 49% | 52% |
| Villages | 19% | 55% | 39% | 9% | 32% | 26% | 20% | 44% | 16% | 28% | 42% | 42% |
| Coast / beaches | 11% | 48% | 37% | 3% | 16% | 9% | 14% | 22% | 14% | 31% | 53% | 35% |
| National parks | 7% | 26% | 11% | 4% | 4% | 8% | 8% | 26% | 9% | 16% | 30% | 25% |
| Walk in countryside | 24% | 58% | 45% | 12% | 27% | 33% | 32% | 37% | 24% | 26% | 50% | 52% |
| Walking by coast | 8% | 37% | 25% | 2% | 9% | 4% | 4% | 15% | 8% | 35% | 38% | 29% |
| Playing golf | 2% | 3% | 4% | 0% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 5% | 1% | 0% | 3% | 7% |
| Going cycling | 1% | 7% | 2% | 1% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 0% | 4% | 1% | 2% |
Source: International Passenger Survey 2006-2011
Other activities/attractions
Football, nightlife, contemporary culture and shopping are especially popular in Northern cities which often attract short breaks.
| Activity | All | SW | SE | LON | EE | WM | EM | YKS | NW | NE | WL | SC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Going on a tour | 25% | 23% | 23% | 26% | 14% | 13% | 19% | 18% | 19% | 8% | 19% | 36% |
| Learning activities | 9% | 20% | 17% | 8% | 6% | 3% | 4% | 4% | 10% | 12% | 8% | 8% |
| Zoos, aquarium, other wildlife | 7% | 9% | 7% | 8% | 5% | 5% | 8% | 11% | 7% | 1% | 4% | 6% |
| Visiting a spa / beauty centre | 3% | 6% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 3% | 4% | 5% | 4% | 1% | 1% | 4% |
| Researching ancestry | 2% | 1% | 3% | 2% | 1% | 2% | 1% | 4% | 0% | 3% | 5% | 4% |
| Going to watch live football (at a stadium) | 2% | 1% | 1% | 2% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 8% | 19% | 0% | 0% |
Source: International Passenger Survey 2006-2011
Our report on inbound tourism to Britain’s nations and regions (PDF, 2.47MB) covers the profile of international visitors in different areas of Britain and the activities they do there.
