GB Tourism Survey: archive

GBTS and UKTS previous years annual reports

Below is the annual data for the Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS) and United Kingdom Tourism Survey (UKTS) dating back to 2005. 

Methodological details

Results from 2005-2010 consider the whole of the UK, and are not directly comparable with the current GBTS, which considers residents of Great Britain only.

Results from 2011 are from the current GBTS. 

GB / UK Tourist annual reports

• The GB Tourist 2017 (PDF, 3MB)
• The GB Tourist 2016 (PDF, 3MB)
• The GB Tourist 2015 (PDF, 2.9MB)
• The GB Tourist 2014 (PDF, 5.55MB)
• The GB Tourist 2013 (PDF, 3.56MB)
• The GB Tourist 2012 (PDF, 5.3MB)  
• The GB Tourist 2011 (PDF, 5.14MB) 
• The UK Tourist 2010 (PDF, 106MB) 
• The UK Tourist 2009 (PDF, 727.5MB)  
• The UK Tourist 2008 (PDF, 749.93KB)  
• The UK Tourist 2007 (PDF, 735.5KB) 
• The UK Tourist 2006 (PDF, 1.16MB) 
• The UK Tourist 2005 (PDF, 806.07KB) 

GB Tourism Survey: 2017 Overview

2017 Domestic Overnight Tourism Performance Summary 

In 2017, British residents took 100.6 million overnight trips in England, totalling 299 million nights away from home and expenditure of £19 billion,with an average trip length of 3 nights.

Overall trends

The number of domestic trips to England was 1% higher than in 2016.

Trends by trip purpose

Holiday travel

47.2 million holiday trips were taken in England in 2017. The number of holiday trips taken was 6% higher than in 2016.

At 31.4 million, short breaks of 1-3 nights account for two-thirds of English holidays by volume. 15.8 million 4+ night holidays were taken. 

Business travel

14.2 million overnight business trips were taken in England in 2017. The number of business trips was on par with 2016.

Visiting friends and relatives (VFR)

The number of VFR trips taken declined by 1% in 2017, to 36.6 million.

Further detail about trip profiles and demographic characteristics can be found in our summary tables:

England

• England - All Trip Purposes 2017 (PDF, 320KB)
• England - All Trip Purposes 2017 (Excel, 37KB)
• England - Holidays 2017 (PDF, 313KB)
• England - Holidays 2017 (Excel, 36KB)
• England - VFR 2017 (PDF, 314KB)
• England - VFR 2017 (Excel, 37KB)
• England - Business 2017 (PDF, 313KB)
• England - Business 2017 (Excel, 36KB)

Great Britain

• GB - All Trip Purposes 2017 (PDF, 319KB)
• GB - All Trip Purposes 2017 (Excel, 37KB)

GBTS 2017 monthly results

December: Table of results (PDF, 544KB) | Table of results (PPT, 1.6MB) | Commentary of results (PDF, 1.5MB) | Commentary of results (PPT, 3.4MB) 

Note: December 2017 commentary of results file re-published due to change in 'total self-catering rented' accommodation type numbers. 

November: Table of results (PDF, 520KB) | Table of results (PPT, 1.5MB) | Commentary of results (PDF, 1.5MB) | Commentary of results (PPT, 3.3MB)

October: Table of results (PDF, 520KB) | Table of results (PPT, 1.5MB) | Commentary of results (PDF, 1.5MB) | Commentary of results (PPT, 3.3MB)

September: Table of results (PDF, 515KB) | Table of results (PPT, 1.5MB) | Commentary of results (PDF, 1.5MB) | Commentary of results (PPT, 3384KB)

August: Table of results (PDF, 509KB) | Table of results (PPT, 1.5MB) | Commentary of results (PDF, 1.5MB) | Commentary of results (PPT, 3.4MB)

July: Table of results (PDF, 495KB) | Table of results (PPT, 1.5MB) | Commentary of results (PDF, 1.5MB) | Commentary of results (PPT, 3.3MB)

June: Table of results (PDF, 401KB) | Table of results (PPT, 1553KB) | Commentary of results (PDF, 1.3MB) | Commentary of results (PPT, 2MB)

May: Table of results (PDF, 401KB) | Table of results (PPT, 1.5MB) | Commentary of results (PDF, 1.3MB) | Commentary of results (PPT, 2MB)

April: Table of results (PDF, 410KB) | Table of results (PPT, 1.5MB) | Commentary of results (PDF, 1327KB) | Commentary of results (PPT, 2MB)

Note: April table of results re-published on 3rd August 2017 due to a slight change in bednights numbers. 

March: Table of results (PDF, 486KB) | Table of results (PPT, 1.5MB) | Commentary of results (PDF, 1.3MB) | Commentary of results (PPT, 2MB)

January / February: Table of results (PDF, 486KB) | Table of results (PPT, 1.5MB) | Commentary of results (PDF, 1.3MB) | Commentary of results (PPT, 2MB)

Trips to different parts of England in 2017

Each quarter we publish GBTS results for the nine regions of England, covering the volume and value of domestic overnight trips to different parts of England. These include quarterly, year-to-date and past 12-month figures.

GBTS Quarterly Regional Summary Q4 2017 (PDF, 849KB)

GBTS Quarterly Regional Summary Q3 2017 (PDF, 438KB)

GBTS Quarterly Regional Summary Q2 2017 (PDF, 437KB)   

GBTS Quarterly Regional Summary Q1 2017 (PDF, 437KB)

GBTS 2016 monthly results

December: Commentary of results (PDF, 1451KB) | Commentary of results (PPT, 3374KB)

GBTS 2016 Data

Update 29^th September 2017

In 2016, a new data processing platform was introduced to deliver the GBTS survey, and with this new platform, some changes were made to the way that results were calculated for a small number of respondents. This has resulted in a break in the time series reporting for the project.

To enable users to understand the impact of the changes made, we have now re-processed 2015 data using the new 2016 data processing platform. In summary, the effect of these changes at GB level was to increase the estimated number of 2015 trips by 0.6%, the estimated number of bednights by 0.2% and to reduce expenditure by -2.9% compared to the published data.

The 2015 – 16 Comparison Report includes a month by month overview of original and re-processed data for 2015, with both sets of results compared to 2016 data, for trips, bednights and expenditure. This provides users with information about year on year changes calculated using directly comparable data.

When making trend comparisons between 2015 and 2016, users should refer to the re-processed 2015 data (“Dimensions”). For all other purposes (comparisons between 2015 and earlier years, profiles by trip characteristic etc) the originally published 2015 data should continue to be used.

For more detail about the changes made and further guidance about how to interpret results, the 2015-16 Data Processing Changes Explanation document provides a comprehensive overview of the changes made, the reasons for these, and the way they have impacted results reporting.

2016 Domestic Overnight Tourism Performance Summary 

In 2016, British residents took 99.3 million overnight trips in England, totalling 288 million nights away from home and expenditure of £18.5 billion,with an average trip length of 2.90 nights.

Overall trends

The number of domestic trips was 4% lower than in 2015.

Trends by trip purpose

Holiday travel

44.7 million holiday trips were taken in England in 2016. The number of holiday trips taken was on par with 2015.

At 29.3 million, short breaks of 1-3 nights account for two-thirds of English holidays by volume. 15.4 million 4+ night holidays were taken. 

Business travel

14.1 million overnight business trips were taken in England in 2016. The number of business trips was on par with 2015.

Visiting friends and relatives (VFR)

The number of VFR trips taken declined by 9% in 2016, to 36.9 million.

Further detail about trip profiles and demographic characteristics can be found in our summary tables:

England

England - All Trip Purposes 2016 (PDF, 335KB)

England - All Trip Purposes 2016 (Excel, 32KB)

England - Holidays 2016 (PDF, 341KB)

England - Holidays 2016 (Excel, 32KB)

England - VFR 2016 (PDF, 338KB)

England - VFR 2016 (Excel, 33KB)

England - Business 2016 (PDF, 339KB)

England - Business 2016 (Excel, 33KB)

Great Britain

GB - All Trip Purposes 2016 (PDF, 334KB)

GB - All Trip Purposes 2016 (Excel, 35KB)

Trips to different parts of England in 2016

Each quarter we publish GBTS results for the nine regions, covering the volume and value of domestic overnight trips to different parts of England. This includes quarterly, year-to-date and past 12-month figures.

• GBTS Quarterly Regional Summary Q4 2016 (PDF, 436KB)
• GBTS Quarterly Regional Summary Q3 2016 (PDF, 437KB) 
• GBTS Quarterly Regional Summary Q2 2016 (PDF, 436KB) 
• GBTS Quarterly Regional Summary Q1 2016 (PDF, 436KB) 

Most Visited Towns

The Most Visited Towns data is published using three-year averages, listing the most visited English towns by trip numbers and spend - in total, for holiday trips, and for business trips. The most recent data is for the three-year period from 2014-2016. 

Most Visited Towns by Trip Purpose 2014-16 (Excel, 32KB)

Local Authorities and other areas

For geographical areas of England (Local Authorities, Counties, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) areas) data is published using three-year averages only. The most recent data is for the three-year period from 2014-2016.

An introduction to this analysis (Word, 269KB) is available HERE

The data is available in Excel as follows:

Master Spreadsheet (Local Authorities, Counties, LEP areas) (Excel, 426KB)

Local Authorities Spreadsheet (Excel, 354KB)

Counties Spreadsheet (Excel, 68KB)

LEP Spreadsheet (Excel, 45KB)

A combined spreadsheet has been produced for Local Authorities including data from both the GBTS survey (domestic overnight trips) and the GBDVS survey (day visits) to create a combined total of all domestic trips to Local Authorities.

Local Authorities combined analysis (domestic overnight and day visits) (Excel, 92KB)

Note: All year on year trends estimates are based on a comparison with a re-processed 2015 data. More detail about this can be found in this explanation document (PDF, 1.3MB).

GB Tourism Survey: 2015 

2015 Domestic Overnight Tourism Performance Summary 

In 2015, British residents took 102.7 million overnight trips in England, totalling 300 million nights away from home, with an expenditure of £19.6 billion. £191 was spent per trip, and with an average trip length of 2.92 nights, the average spend per night was £65.

Overall trends

The number of domestic trips was 11% higher than in 2014, and the amount spent increased by 8%, reaching an all-time high in nominal terms.

Trends by trip purpose

Holiday travel

43.7 million holiday trips were taken in England in 2015, with spending of £10.7 billion. The number of holiday trips taken was 7% higher than in 2014, and the amount spent also increased by 7%.

At 29.2 million, short breaks of 1-3 nights account for two-thirds of English holidays by volume, and over half the market value (£5.9 billion), with an average spend per night of £104, and spend per trip of £201.

14.5 million 4+ night holidays were taken, generating £4.9 billion in expenditure. While spend per trip is higher than for short breaks (£334), average spend per night is considerably lower (£54).

Business travel

13.9 million overnight business trips were taken in England in 2015, worth £3.3 billion. The number of business trips rose by 2% year-on-year, though spending fell back, by 5%.

Visiting friends and relatives (VFR)

The number of VFR trips taken rose by 13% in 2015, to 40.6 million, the highest recorded total since 2006, while spending reached a record level (in nominal terms) of £4.7 billion, representing a 15% increase year on year.

Both holiday and so-called “duty” VFR saw growth in 2015, with volumes for both categories up by 13%, and spending up by 12% and 15% respectively.

Further detail about trip profiles and demographic characteristics can be found in our summary tables:

England

• England - All Trip Purposes 2015 (PDF, 284KB)
• England - All Trip Purposes 2015 (Excel, 35KB)
• England - Holidays 2015 (PDF, 277KB)
• England - Holidays 2015 (Excel, 34KB)
• England - VFR 2015 (PDF, 281KB)
• England - VFR 2015 (Excel, 36KB)
• England - Business 2015 (PDF, 212KB)
• England - Business 2015 (Excel, 31KB)

Great Britain

• GB - All Trip Purposes 2015 (PDF, 286KB)
• GB - All Trip Purposes 2015 (Excel, 36KB)

 

Most Visited Towns

The Most Visited Towns data is published using three-year averages, listing the most visited English towns by trip numbers and spend - in total, for holiday trips, and for business trips. The most recent data is for the three-year period from 2013-2015. 

Most Visited Towns by Trip Purpose 2013-15 (Excel, 79KB)

Local Authorities and other areas

For other geographical areas of England (Local Authorities, Counties, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) areas and Parliamentary Constituencies) data is published using three-year averages only. The most recent data is for the three-year period from 2013-2015.

An introduction to this analysis (Word, 269KB) is available HERE

The data is available in Excel as follows:

• Master Spreadsheet (Local Authorities, Counties, LEP areas) (Excel, 507KB)
• Local Authorities Spreadsheet (Excel, 297KB)
• Counties Spreadsheet (Excel, 58KB)
• LEP Spreadsheet (Excel, 39KB)

A combined spreadsheet has been produced for Local Authorities including data from both the GBTS survey (domestic overnight trips) and the GBDVS survey (day visits) to create a combined total of all domestic trips to Local Authorities.

• Local Authorities combined analysis (domestic overnight and day visits) (Excel, 85KB)

GBTS 2015 monthly results

Headline volume and spend (2014 vs 2015): Annual 2015 results

 

Monthly results from the latest GBTS are below:

December: Summary table (PDF, 414KB) | Summary of results (PDF, 706KB) | Detailed results (PDF, 1.4MB) | Detailed results (PPT, 3.4MB) Detailed results republished on 25th October 2017

November: Summary tables (PDF, 451KB) | | Detailed results (PDF, 753KB) 

October:  Summary (PDF, 713KB) |  Detailed results (PDF, 1332KB) | | Summary tables (PDF, 403KB)  

September: Summary of results (PDF, 689KB) | Detailed results (PDF, 1307KB) Republished on 7th January 2017 | Summary tables (PDF, 387KB) 

August: Summary of results (PDF, 735KB) | Detailed results (PDF, 1.3MB) | Summary tables (PDF, 383KB) 

July: Summary of results (PDF, 807KB) | Detailed results (PDF, 1.3MB) | Summary tables (PDF, 362KB) 

June: Summary of results (PDF, 779KB) | Detailed results (PDF, 1.3KB)) | Summary tables (PDF, 369KB) 

May: Summary of results (PDF, 777KB) | Detailed results (PDF, 1.3MB) | Summary tables (PDF, 365KB)

April: Detailed results (PDF, 1.3KB) | Summary of Results (PDF, 967KB)

March: Detailed results (PDF, 1.2MB) | Summary of results (PDF, 727KB) 

February: Commentary of results (PDF, 289KB) | Table of results (PDF, 506KB) | 12 month rolling results (PDF, 2.8MB) 

January: Table of Results (PDF 352KB)

Detailed results for 2015 are also available in Powerpoint. Download below:

• March - April Detailed Results (ZIP, 5.38MB) 
• May - June Detailed Results (ZIP,5.41MB)
• July - August Detailed Results (ZIP, 5.40MB)
• Sept - October Detailed Results (ZIP, 5.26MB)
• November Detailed Results (ZIP, 2.11MB)
   

Trips to different parts of England in 2015

Each quarter we publish GBTS results for the nine regions of England, covering the volume and value of domestic overnight trips to different parts of England. These include quarterly, year-to-date and past 12-month figures.

• GBTS Quarterly Regional Summary Q4 2015 (PDF, 375KB)
• GBTS Quarterly Regional Summary Q3 2015 (PDF, 300KB)
• GBTS Quarterly Regional Summary Q2 2015 (PDF, 299KB)   
• GBTS Quarterly Regional Summary Q1 2015 (PDF, 299KB)

 

Great Britain Tourism Survey 2014

Domestic Tourism Overview 2014

2014 Performance Summary 

In 2014, British residents took 92.6 million overnight trips in England, totalling 273 million nights away from home, with an expenditure of £18.1 billion.totalling 273 million nights away from home, with an expenditure of £18.1 billion.

£195 was spent per trip, and with an average trip length of 2.95 nights, the average spend per night was £66.

Overall trends

The number of domestic trips was 9% lower than in 2013, and the amount spent fell by 3% (in nominal terms).

Trends by trip purpose

Holiday travel

41 million holiday trips were taken in England in 2014, with spending of £10 billion. The number of holiday trips taken was 9% lower than in 2013, and the amount spent 4% lower.

At 26.5 million, short breaks of 1-3 nights account for almost two-thirds of English holidays by volume, and just over half the market value (£5.3 billion), with an average spend per night of £103, and spend per trip of £199.

14.3 million 4+ night holidays were taken, generating £4.8 billion in expenditure. While spend per trip is higher than for short breaks (£335), average spend per night is considerably lower (£56).

Business travel

13.5 million overnight business trips were taken in England in 2014, worth £3.5 billion. The number of business trips fell by 10% year-on-year, while spending fell by 4%.

Visiting friends and relatives (VFR)

The number of VFR trips taken fell back by 6% in 2014, to 36 million, though the amount spent remained static at £4.1 billion.

Within VFR, there were differing trends by trip purpose. The number of “holiday” VFR trips rose by 1.5%, and associated spending rose by 7%. However, other, so-called “duty” VFR  trips declined, with a 16% decrease in trip volumes, and a 12% fall in value. 

Summary tables

England

• England - All Trip Purposes 2014 (PDF, 284KB) 
• England - All Trip Purposes 2014 (Excel, 35KB)
• England - Holidays 2014 (PDF, 277KB) 
• England - Holidays 2014 (Excel, 34KB)
• England - VFR 2014 (PDF, 281KB)
• England - VFR 2014 (Excel, 36KB)
• England - Business 2014 (PDF, 212KB)
• England - Business 2014 (Excel, 31KB)

Great Britain 

• GB - All Trip Purposes 2014 (PDF, 286KB) 
• GB - All Trip Purposes 2014 (Excel, 36KB)

Trips to different parts of England in 2014

In this section, you can find the volume and value of domestic overnight trips to different parts of England.

Regions of England

We have published factsheets on each of the nine regions of England. Download the Regional Factsheets in PDF (ZIP, 3.77MB) and Excel format (ZIP, 381KB)

Each quarter we publish GBTS results for the nine regions, covering the volume and value of domestic overnight trips to different parts of England. This includes quarterly, year-to- date and past 12-month figures.

• GBTS Quarterly Regional Summary Q4 2014 (PDF, 299KB)
• GBTS Quarterly Regional Summary Q3 2014 (PDF, 299KB) 
• GBTS Quarterly Regional Summary Q2 2014 (PDF, 299KB) 
• GBTS Quarterly Regional Summary Q1 2014 (PDF, 289KB) 

We've also published a brief topic paper on the origin and destination of holidaymakers 2014 (PDF, 467KB)

Most Visited Towns

The Most Visited Towns data is published using three-year averages, listing the most visited English towns by trip numbers and spend - in total, for holiday trips, and for business trips. The most recent data is for the three-year period from 2012-2014.

• Most Visited Towns by Trip Purpose 2012-14 (Excel, 45KB)

Local Authorities and other areas

For other geographical areas of England (Local Authorities, Counties, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) areas and Parliamentary Constituencies) data is published using three-year averages only. The most recent data is for the three-year period from 2012-2014.

An introduction to this analysis (Word, 28KB).

The data is available in Excel as follows:

• Master Spreadsheet (Local Authorities, Counties, LEP areas) (Excel, 471KB)
• Local Authorities Spreadsheet (Excel, 263KB)
• Counties Spreadsheet (Excel, 59KB)
• LEP Spreadsheet (Excel, 35KB)
• Constituencies Spreadsheet (Excel, 177KB)

A combined spreadsheet has been produced for Local Authorities including data from both the GBTS survey (domestic overnight trips) and the GBDVS survey (day visits) to create a combined total of all domestic trips to Local Authorities.

• Local Authorities combined analysis (domestic overnight and day visits) (Excel, 74KB)

GBTS 2014 monthly results

• October to December 2014: Commentary of results (PDF, 409KB) | Summary tables (PDF, 512KB) | 12 month rolling report (PDF, 2.8MB) 
• September: Commentary of Results (PDF, 259KB) | Table of Results (PDF, 596KB) | 12 months rolling report (PDF, 2.9MB)
• August: Commentary of Results (PDF, 259KB) | Table of Results (PDF, 589KB) | 12 months rolling report (PDF, 2.8MB)
• July: Commentary of Results (PDF, 260KB) | Table of Results (PDF, 582KB) | 12 months rolling report (PDF, 2.8MB)
• June: Commentary of Results (PDF, 261KB) | Table of Results (PDF, 540KB) | 12 months rolling report (PDF, 2.9MB)
• May: Commentary of Results (PDF, 261KB) | Table of Results (PDF, 498KB) | 12 months rolling report (PDF, 2.8MB)
• April: Commentary of Results (PDF, 206KB) | Table of Results (PDF, 577KB) | 12 months rolling report (PDF, 1MB)
• March: Commentary of Results (PDF, 258KB) | Table of Results (PDF, 540KB) | 12 months rolling report (PDF, 2MB)
• February: Commentary of Results (PDF, 253KB) | Table of Results (PDF, 505KB) | 12 months rolling report (PDF, 2.5MB)
• January: Commentary of results (PDF, 257KB) | Summary tables (PDF, 347KB)

Great Britain Tourism Survey 2013

In 2013, British residents took 102 million overnight trips in England, totalling 297 million nights away from home, with expenditure of £18.7 billion. £184 was spent per trip, and with an average trip length of 2.9 nights, the average spend per night was £63.totalling 297 million nights away from home, with expenditure of £18.7 billion. £184 was spent per trip, and with an average trip length of 2.9 nights, the average spend per night was £63.

For detailed results, download the GB Tourist 2013 report (PDF, 3.56MB).

Overall trends

The Domestic Tourism Overview 2013 shows the number of domestic trips was 3% lower than in 2013, and the amount spent fell by 4% (in nominal terms).

Holiday travel

45 million holiday trips were taken in England in 2013, with spending of £10.5 billion. The number of holiday trips taken was 2% lower than in 2012, though volumes remain well above pre-recession levels (2006-2008 average trip volume was 40.5 million).

Business travel

15.1 million overnight business trips were taken in England in 2013, worth £3.7 billion. The number of trips fell by 5% year-on-year, while spending fell by 3%. Business trip volumes are therefore slightly below those recorded in the 2006-8 period (2006-8 average 15.3 million).

Visiting friends and relatives (VFR)

The number of VFR trips taken fell back by 2% in 2013, to 38.2 million, with a 3% decline in spending to £4.1 billion. Within VFR there were differing trends by trip purpose, with a 2% increase in “holiday” VFR but a decrease of 7% in other, “duty” VFR trips.

Summary tables

England

• England - All Trip Purposes 2013) PDF, 285KB) 
• England - Holidays 2013 (PDF, 279KB) 
• England - Holidays 1-3 nights 2013 (PDF, 279KB)
• England - Holidays 4+ nights 2013 (PDF, 279KB)  

Great Britain 

• GB - All Trip Purposes 2013 (PDF, 284KB)  
• GB - Holidays 2013 (PDF, 279KB)  
• GB - Holidays 1-3 nights (PDF, 279KB) 
• GB - Holidays 4+ nights (PDF, 279KB)  

2013 Monthly GBTS results

• December: Commentary of Results (PDF, 322KB) | Table of Results (PDF, 424KB)
• November: Commentary of Results (PDF, 263KB) | Table of Results (PDF, 451KB)
• October: Commentary of Results (PDF, 263KB) | Table of Results (PDF, 446KB)446KB)
• September 2013: Commentary of Results (PDF, 262KB) | Table of Results (PDF, 411KB) 
• August 2013 Commentary of Results (PDF, 209KB) | Table of Results (PDF, 435KB)
• July 2013: Commentary of Results (PDF, 240KB) | Table of Results (PDF, 432KB)
• June 2013: Commentary of Results (PDF, 207KB) | Table of Results (PDF, 426KB)
• May 2013: Commentary of Results (PDF, 208KB) | Table of Results (PDF, 422KB)
• April 2013: Commentary of Results (PDF, 206KB) | Table of Results (PDF, 416KB)
• March: Commentary of Results (PDF, 205KB) | Table of Results (PDF, 414KB)
• February: Commentary of Results (PDF, 205KB) | Table of Results (PDF, 409KB) 
• January: Commentary of Results (PDF, 178KB) | Table of Results (PDF, 367KB)

Trips to different parts of England in 2013

Regions of England

Each quarter we publish GBTS results for the nine regions of England, including quarterly, year to date and past 12-month figures.

• Q4 2013) PDF, 297KB) 
• Q3 2013 (PDF, 375KB) 
• Q2 2013 (PDF, 373KB) 
• Q1 2013 (PDF, 288KB) 

Most Visited Towns

The Most Visited Towns Analysis (PDF, 34KB) lists the top English towns in 2013 by trip numbers and spend – in total, for holiday trips, and for business trips.

Other areas

For other geographical areas of England (Local Authorities, Counties, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) areas and Parliamentary Constituencies) data is published using three-year averages only. The most recent data is for the three-year period from 2011-2013. 

See an introduction to this analysis (PDF, 34KB).

Available data:

• Local Authorities - 3-year averages 2006-2013) (Excel, 228KB)
• Counties - 3-year averages 2006-2013 (Excel, 54KB)
• Local Enterprise Partnership Areas 2010-2013 (Excel, 33KB) 
• Parliamentary Constituencies 2010-2013 (Excel, 147KB)147KB)
• Master Spreadsheet (Local Authorities, Counties, LEP areas, Constituencies) (Excel, 398KB)

Great Britain Tourism Survey 2012

Overview of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Domestic overnight visitors

In 2012, the GBTS question about activities undertaken during trips was amended to include five options related to the 2012 Games:

• Attended a 2012 Olympics/Paralympics sports event
• Attended the 2012 Olympic Torch relay
• Attended an Inspire Mark Olympic event
• Attended a Cultural Olympiad event, the 2012 Festival, or any other 'official' Olympic-related event
• Visited the Olympic Park in London (without attending a ‘ticketed’ sporting event)

Between July and September 2012, 1.1 million overnight trips were taken in Great Britain which involved one of the above activities. Spending on these trips totalled £331 million.totalled £331 million.

Detailed results for each activity are broken out in this chart (PDF, 80KB).

Domestic day visitors

The same questions were included in the GB Day Visit Survey. This showed that in the same three-month period, 11.4 million tourism day visits included one of the five Olympic activities, with spending of just over £1 billion. More detailed results are available in the Day Visits section of our website.

The GB Tourist 2012

The GB Tourist 2012 (PDF, 5.3MB) is the annual report of the GB Tourism Survey, with detailed analysis of results by nation, trip purpose and trip characteristics.

Domestic tourism overview 2012 - England and Great Britain

Summary

In 2012, British residents took 104 million overnight trips in England, totalling 310 million nights away from home, with expenditure of £19.5 billion. £187 was spent per trip, and with an average trip length of 3.0 nights, the average spend per night was £63.totalling 310 million nights away from home, with expenditure of £19.5 billion. £187 was spent per trip, and with an average trip length of 3.0 nights, the average spend per night was £63.

Overall trends

The number of domestic trips taken was unchanged compared to 2011, but the amount spent rose by 9% (in nominal terms). The volume and value of domestic trips in 2012 were at their highest levels since the start of the current survey in 2006. 

2012 Trends by trip purpose

Holiday travel

46 million holiday trips were taken in England in 2012, with spending of £11 billion. The number of holiday trips taken was unchanged compared to 2011, leaving volumes well above pre-recession levels (2006-2008 average trip volume was 40.5 million), with spending up by 10%.

Business travel

15.9 million overnight business trips were taken in England in 2012, worth £3.8 billion. The number of trips increased by 3% year-on-year, while spending grew by 6%. Trip volumes are now slightly ahead of those recorded in the 2006-8 period (2006-8 average 15.3 million).

Visiting friends and relatives (VFR)

The number of VFR trips taken fell back slightly (-1%) in 2012, to 38.9 million, though the amount spent increased by 7% to £4.2 billion. Within VFR there were differing trends by trip purpose, with a 5% increase in 'holiday' VFR but a decrease of 8% in other, 'duty' VFR trips.

Headline summary

The Headline Summary - 2012 GBTS  (PDF, 349KB) shows the volume and value of domestic overnight trips to Great Britain & England by trip purpose.

Summary tables

A summary of results comparing 2011 and 2012 across key variables. 

• Summary - Great Britain (PDF, 317KB) 
• Summary - England (PDF, 253KB)

Trips to different parts of England in 2012

Regions of England

Each quarter we publish GBTS results for the nine regions of England, including quarterly, year-to-date and past 12-month figures.

• Q1 2012 (PDF, 265KB) 
• Q2 2012 (PDF, 273KB)  
• Q3 2012 (PDF, 296KB)  
• Q4 2012 (PDF, 290KB) 

Most Visited Towns 2012

The Most Visited Towns Analysis lists the top English towns in 2012 by trip numbers and spend – in total, for holiday trips, and for business trips. 

• Most Visited Towns 2012 (Excel, 52.5KB) 
• Most Visited Towns by Trip Purpose 2012 (PDF, 224KB)  

Other areas

For other geographical areas of England (Local Authorities, Counties, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) areas and Parliamentary Constituencies) data is published using three-year averages only - the most recent data is for the three-year period from 2010-2012. See an introduction to this analysis (PDF, 297KB).

The data is available in Excel as follows:

• Local Authorities - 3-year averages 2006-2012) Excel, 191KB)  
• Counties - 3-year averages 2006-2012 (Excel, 49KB)  
• Local Enterprise Partnership Areas 2010-2012 (Excel, 27KB)
• Parliamentary Constituencies 2010-2012 (Excel, 75KB) 
• Master Spreadsheet (Local Authorities, Counties, LEP areas, Constituencies) Excel, 281KB) 

2012 Monthly Toplines and Commentaries

• December: Table of Results (PDF, 495KB)  | Commentary of Results (PDF, 205KB)
• November: Table of Results (PDF, 495KB) | Commentary of Results (PDF, 207KB)
• October: Table of Results (PDF, 433KB) | Commentary of Results (PDF, 207KB)
• September: Table of Results (PDF, 431KB) | Commentary of Results (PDF, 207KB)
• August: Table of Results (PDF, 421KB) | Commentary of Results (PDF, 208KB) 
• July: Table of Results (PDF, 396KB)  | Commentary of Results (PDF, 205KB)
• June: Table of Results (PDF, 295KB) | Commentary of Results (PDF, 207KB) 
• May: Table of Results (PDF, 388KB) | Commentary of Results (PDF, 207KB) 
• April: Table of Results (PDF, 382KB) | Commentary of Results (PDF, 207KB) 
• March: Table of Results (PDF, 336KB)  | Commentary of Results (PDS, 207KB) 
• February: Table of Results (PDF, 359KB) 359KB) | Commentary of Results (PDF, 207KB) 
• January: Table of Results (PDF, 1.29MB) | Commentary of Results (PDF, 179KB)

Activities in 2012

A summary of leisure activities undertaken on domestic overnight trips in 2012

In the 2012 GB Tourism Survey, respondents who had taken an overnight trip within England were asked to state what leisure activities they had undertaken as part of that trip. See the summarised results from this question:

• 2012 Activities - Headline Summary (PDF, 316KB) 
• 2012 Activities - By Destination Type (PDF, 395KB) 
• 2012 Activities - By Region (PDF, 664KB) 

Microdata

An Excel file containing the 2012 microdata set (Excel, 1KB) for key GBTS variables.

Great Britain Tourism Survey 2011

The GB Tourist is the annual report of the GB Tourism Survey, with detailed analysis of results by nation, trip purpose and trip characteristics.

The GB Tourist 2011 (PDF, 5.3MB)

Domestic Tourism Overview 2011 - England and Great Britain

Summary

In 2011, British residents took 104 million overnight trips in England, totalling 307 million nights away from home, with expenditure of £17.9 billion. £172 was spent per trip, and with an average trip length of 2.9 nights, the average spend per night was £58.totalling 307 million nights away from home, with expenditure of £17.9 billion. £172 was spent per trip, and with an average trip length of 2.9 nights, the average spend per night was £58.

Overall trends

The number of domestic trips taken increased in 2011 by 9%, accompanied by a 13% uplift in spending (in nominal terms). Both volume and value of trips in 2011 were at their highest levels since the start of the current survey in 2006.

Trends by trip purpose

Holiday travel

46 million holiday trips were taken in England in 2011, with spending of £10 billion. The number of holiday trips taken increased by 6% compared to 2010, leaving volumes well above pre-recession levels (2006-2008 average trip volume = 40.5 million).

Business travel

15.5 million overnight business trips were taken in England in 2011, worth £3.5 billion. The 15% uplift in business travel volumes between 2010 and 2011 came after four successive years of decline, and means that business travel activity and spending are now back at pre-recession levels.

Visiting friends and relatives (VFR)

VFR travel too saw an uplift in 2011, with the 39 million trips taken representing a 10% growth in volume, while spending of £3.9 billion was 12% higher than in the previous year. However, the number of trips taken still remains below its pre-recession peak.

Trip length

In both holiday and business travel, there has been a steady decline in trip length in recent years, with holiday trips in 2011 averaging 3.42 nights, and business trips 2.18 nights, down from the 2007 peak of 3.66 and 2.32 nights respectively.

Headline Summary 

The Headline Summary - 2011 GBTS (PDF, 235KB)235KB) shows the volume & value of domestic overnight trips to Great Britain & England by trip purpose.

Summary tables

A summary of results comparing 2010 and 2011 across key variables:

• Summary - Great Britain (Excel, 37KB)  
• Summary - Great Britain (PDF, 379KB)  
• Summary - England (Excel, 37KB)  
• Summary - England (PDF, 375KB)