See a summary of the Q1 2023 data below as well as in the Total UK summary report (PDF 562KB). Regional data can be found further down this page and in the UK Nations & Regions summary report (PDF 240KB).
Detailed historical data from 2009 to Q1 2020 is available on the interactive data visualisations at the UK level and the regional level. The detailed data for 2021-Q1 2023 can be downloaded in excel for the Total UK (XL 8MB) and the Nations and Regions (XL 4MB).
Visits, spend and nights
| Total |
Q1 2023 (Jan-Mar) |
% change vs. Q1 2019 |
% change vs. Q1 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visits (000) | 7,692 | -8% | 105% |
| Spend (£m) | £5,625 | 17% | 97% |
| Nights (000) | 55,219 | 9% | 51% |
From January to March 2023, the UK welcomed 7.7m inbound visits, down 8% vs pre-pandemic levels in Q1 2019 but 105% higher than Q1 2022.
Visitors spent a record £5.6bn in the first quarter of 2023 (in nominal terms), 17% higher vs Q1 2019 (and 97% higher vs 2022). In real terms, visitor spend in Q1 2023 was down 2% vs 2019, equivalent to £4.7bn in 2019 prices.
In total, 55m nights were spent in the UK by inbound visitors, up 9% vs Q1 2019 but up 51% vs 2022.
VisitBritain’s latest forecast for 2023 predicts 37.5m visits, 92% of 2019 levels (or -8%). Inbound visitors are forecast to spend £30.9bn, 109% of 2019 levels in nominal terms or 90% in real terms. For more information, see the forecast page.
The average spend per visit was £731 in Q1 2023 (in nominal terms), up 27% vs Q1 2019 (£577) but down 4% vs Q1 2022 (£762).
The average length of stay in Q1 2023 was 7.2 nights which was slightly longer than in Q1 2019 (6.1 nights) but shorter than Q1 2022 (9.8 nights).
Visits and spend by journey purpose
|
Journey Purpose Visits (000) |
Q1 2023 (Jan-Mar) |
% change vs. Q1 2019 |
% change vs. Q1 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday | 2,771 | -7% | 194% |
| VFR | 2,856 | 7% | 64% |
| Business | 1,417 | -33% | 77% |
| Study | 74 | -7% | 78% |
| Misc. (excl. study) | 574 | 16% | 164% |
Inbound visits to friends and relatives made up 37% of all visits in Q1 2023 with a record 2.9m visits across the 3 months, up 7% vs Q1 2019 (and up 64% vs Q1 2022).
Those visiting the UK for a holiday made up 36% of all visits at 2.8m visits, down 7% vs 2019 (but up 194% vs 2022).
Study visits recovered to 74,000 in Q1 2023, down 7% vs 2019 but up 78% vs 2022.
Business visits were down around one third in the first three months of 2023 vs Q1 2019, at 1.4m visits.
All other visits under ‘miscellaneous’ contributed 574m visits in 2022, up 16% on 2019.
|
Journey Purpose Spend (£m) |
Q1 2023 (Jan-Mar) |
% change vs. Q1 2019 |
% change vs. Q1 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday | £2,116 | 2% | 145% |
| VFR | £1,672 | 44% | 54$ |
| Business | £1,124 | -6% | 96% |
| Study | £282 | 144% | 68% |
| Misc. (excl. study) | £417 | 68% | 168% |
Holiday spend remained the highest source of inbound spend in Q1 2023 (38%) with these visitors spending a record £2.1bn, up 2% vs 2019.
Spend from those visiting friends and relatives surpassed pre-pandemic levels in Q1 2023, reaching a new record of £1.7bn, up 44% vs 2019. VFR spend made up 30% of the total spend.
Business spend recovered to £1.1bn, down 6% vs 2019 (20% of total spend).
Spend from study visitors can fluctuate quite a lot and reached £282m in Q1 2023, up 144% vs Q1 2019.
All other spend under ‘miscellaneous’ contributed a record £417m in the first quarter of 2023, up 68% vs Q1 2019.
See visits and spend by global region and inbound market in the Total UK summary report linked at the top of this page.
Visits and spend by UK region
|
Nations/Regions Visits (000) |
Q1 2023 (Jan-Mar) |
% change vs. Q1 2019 |
% change vs. Q1 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total England | 6,956 | -7% | 104% |
| London | 4,195 | -8% | 127% |
| Rest of England | 3,086 | -6% | 84% |
| Scotland | 572 | 29% | 125% |
| Wales | 151 | -4% | 107% |
England overall welcomed 7.0m visits in the first quarter, down 7% vs 2019.
Of the 7.7m inbound visits to the UK from January to March 2023, London received just over half (55%) which was in line with the proportion of visits received prior to the pandemic. The Rest of England received 3.1m visits, down 6% on 2019.
Scotland continued to post the strongest recovery into Q1 2023 (up 29% vs 2019) with 572,000 visits.
Wales received 151,000 visits in Q1 2023, down 4% vs 2019.
|
Nations/Regions Spend (£m) |
Q1 2023 (Jan-Mar) |
% change vs. Q1 2019 |
% change vs. Q1 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total England | £5,122 | 15% | 98% |
| London | £3,356 | 7% | 102% |
| Rest of England | £1,766 | 32% | 92% |
| Scotland | £359 | 71% | 95% |
| Wales | £67 | 23% | 48% |
Spend continued to recover at a faster pace than visits into Q1 2023, exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 17% at a record £5.6bn.
Inbound spend in London accounted for 60% of the total UK spend, reaching a record £3.4bn in Q1 2023, 7% above Q1 2019. Those visiting the Rest of England accounted for 32% of the total spend, totalling at a record £1.8bn, 32% higher than Q1 2019.
Visitors to England spent a record setting £5.1bn, up 15% vs Q1 2019.
In Scotland, spend reached £359m (up 71% vs Q1 2019), just shy of the 2018 record of £365m.
Wales received £67m from inbound visitors, up 23% vs Q1 2019.
See the Regional summary report at the top of this page for further detail on English regions.
More detailed information on 2023 inbound data can be found on the ONS website.
