There are two categories of activites focused on countryside and coastal activities - experiencing rural life and scenery and outdoor leisure pursuits.
Experiencing rural life and scenery
| Activities asked about | Number of visits that involved activity (000) | % of all visits | Amount spent in UK (£m)* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Going to countryside or villages | 4,996 | 13% | £4,540 |
| Going to coast or beaches | 3,797 | 10% | £3,460 |
| Visiting a national park | 2,490 | 7% | £2,430 |
Outdoor leisure pursuits
| Activities asked about | Number of visits that involved activity (000) | % of all visits | Amount spent in UK (£m)* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walking in the countryside | 6,459 | 20% | £3,900 |
| Going for a walk, hike or ramble | 5,935 | 17% | £4,970 |
| Walking along the coast | 2,445 | 8% | £1,970 |
| Playing golf | 354 | 1% | £480 |
| Fishing | 115 | <1% | £140 |
Source: International Passenger Survey 2007-2016, *By those whose visit included the activity. Spend is not specifically whilst under-taking activity throughout visit to UK
Propensity for holidays in UK nations and regions involving specific activities
IPS figures also show that Scotland (SC), Wales (WL), the South West (SW) and Yorkshire (YKS) are most likely to see holiday visits involving a visit to a national park, whilst going to the countryside or villages is more common in the South West, Scotland and Wales.
Going to the coast or beaches is particularly likely in Wales (undertaken by over 1-in-2 holidaymakers), followed by those visiting Scotland and the South West.
Over half of visits to Wales included going for a walk, hike or ramble, followed by visits to the South West, Yorkshire, Scotland, the South East (SE) and the East Midlands (EM).
Playing golf is most common when visiting Scotland and Wales, but also more so than the holiday inbound average in the South East, the East of England (EE) and the North East (NE).
| Visiting rural / coastal locations, participating in outdoor /sports activities during holiday visits to... | SW | SE | LON | EE | WM | EM | YKS | NW | NE | WL | SC | UK totaL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Going to the countryside or villages | 48% | 29% | 7% | 20% | 18% | 24% | 32% | 20% | 21% | 44% | 44% | 18% |
| Going to the coast or beaches | 40% | 30% | 3% | 9% | 2% | 8% | 19% | 14% | 14% | 52% | 43% | 14% |
| Visiting a national park | 24% | 10% | 7% | 6% | 3% | 6% | 21% | 12% | 9% | 28% | 28% | 11% |
| Going for a walk, hike or ramble | 47% | 31% | 16% | 18% | 19% | 31% | 37% | 20% | 17% | 52% | 36% | 21% |
| Playing golf | 1% | 2% | <1% | 2% | 1% | 0% | <1% | 1% | 2% | 4% | 8% | 1% |
Source: International Passenger Survey 2014-2016, shown as percentages of total inbound holiday visits to the UK (inc. visits to Northern Ireland), to a nation or region
