VisitBritain

Inbound visits and spend: quarterly, regional

See the latest annual estimates of the number of visits to the UK and total spend by inbound visitors, by UK region, based on the International Passenger Survey (IPS) released by the Office of National Statistics.

Released on:

29 October 2025

Next release:

to be confirmed

For further information, please contact [email protected].

A note on 2025 IPS data

On 29 October 2025, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released provisional estimates for the International Passenger Survey covering the first half of 2025. This data is badged as ‘official statistics in development’ following the methodological changes introduced in July 2024. They have published these estimates to update users on progress and to invite feedback on the developing methods.  

After careful consideration and in agreement with the ONS, VisitBritain has decided not to upload this data to our visualisations, pivot tables or reports on the website, and we will not be issuing detailed analysis of the trends at this time. 

The reason for this decision, is that when viewed alongside data prior to the methodological changes, the volume and value of inbound tourism to the UK is markedly lower than in the same periods in 2024. Data VisitBritain hold from other sources suggest that the volume and value of inbound tourism was a similar level or slightly up compared with the first half of 2024. We believe that integrating and analysing the IPS data in the usual manner would not provide our users with insights on the progression of inbound tourism.  

When IPS data for the second half of 2024 data was released, VisitBritain chose to report on it with caveats, including some modelling to estimate a comparable number for topline visits and spend and noted some specific issues. However, discrepancies compared with other sources appear wider in the 2025 data. 

It is important to note that the ONS themselves do not endorse comparisons with previous years. A discrepancy does not mean that the new data is incorrect. We will continue to work closely with the ONS to understand and address the impact of the methodological changes and we hope to re-integrate IPS data into our reporting once the method changes have stabilised.  

In the meantime, as an alternative, users can explore our Visa card spending dashboard which presents data on inbound spending for the first half of 2025. Data for the third quarter is due to be uploaded in the second half of November. While this dataset covers only a subset of the market and differs from overall inbound tourism, the total level picture for year-on-year growth trends aligns more closely with other data sources and feedback. 

Users who wish to access IPS data can do so on the ONS website. See the latest article outlining progress towards planned improvements to the travel and tourism statistics by the ONS.

See the latest annual inbound statistics at the GB and nations/regions level.

About the survey

The International Passenger Survey (IPS) is a continuous survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It covers all major air, sea and tunnel ports, providing detailed information on the numbers and types of visits made by people travelling to and from the UK.

Please see the note at the top of this page regarding data for the first half of 2025. 2024 and 2025 statistics are badged as ‘official statistics in development’. See the ONS website for more information. 

For further information, refer to the About the IPS page.

  • An important note about the survey’s methodology when interpreting regional data:

    • Visitors who spend at least one night in the UK during their trip are asked where they stayed. This information can be aggregated to look at the number of visits, nights, and spending in different regions, cities, and towns.
    • Information at the regional level is often based on very small sample sizes, and as such should be treated with extreme caution, and used solely as an indicative estimate. The IPS is a national survey, and is not designed to be statistically robust at the regional level.
    • Visitors often spend nights in more than one location during their trip. This means that ‘visits’ values for different regions will not sum to the national total – for example a visitor from the US making a single visit to the UK could be counted as making a ‘staying visit’ to London, to Edinburgh and to Chester.
    • The data includes a ‘Total UK’ category, representing the true national total for visits.
    • ‘Double counting’ is not an issue when looking at visitor nights or spending.
    • No information is recorded about where visitors arriving or departing the UK on the same day travel during their trip, nor is information recorded about where ‘staying visitors’ go for ‘day trips’. If a visitor from France spends four nights in Edinburgh, they may take a day trip to St Andrews and another to Stirling, but this information will not be recorded in the IPS.

    A note on the English regions

    • Data for each of the English regions can be viewed individually, or at an aggregated level. The aggregated levels available are:
    • Rest of England: all regions outside London combined.
    • England’s North Country: North East, North West and Yorkshire combined.
    • Central England: West Midlands, East Midlands and East of England combined.
    • Southern England: South East and South West combined.

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