National Statistical
News and insight from the office for national statistics, understanding the contribution of migrants to the uk’s tourism and health sectors.
- August 15, 2019
Fresh analysis by the Office for National Statistics shows that these two key sectors employ around three-quarters of a million non-British workers, with the majority of those coming from the European Union. Providing a better understanding of the migrant workforce is one of the ways we’re mobilising the power of data to help Britain make better decisions. Here Jay Lindop discusses this latest work and the ongoing transformation of UK population and migration statistics.
In the past year the ONS has produced new insights into the contribution of migrants to the agriculture , construction and education sectors. This is part of the continued transformation of migration and population statistics and, as outlined in June , we have now gone further by looking at the tourism and health industries, which are both big employers of non-British nationals.
We’ve worked with other government departments including the Home Office, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Department of Health and Social Care NHS Digital, Public Health England and Health Education England using a variety of data sources to provide a fresh evidence base on the role migrants play within various sectors.
Migration and tourism
Our analysis of the Annual Population Survey has shown that between 2016 and 2018, there was an average of 3.2 million people working in tourism in the UK, with the industry having a higher proportion of non-British nationals (16%) when compared with all other sectors (11%). Of the 501,000 non-British nationals who worked in tourism, an estimated 64% were EU nationals and 36% were non-EU nationals.
We also found that, on average, non-British nationals working in tourism were more likely to be older, living in London (even more so than in other sectors), working more hours and more likely to be in temporary employment.
There were also a higher proportion of non-British nationals who worked in the sub-sectors of ‘Accommodation’ and ‘Food and drink’.
The top three occupations for migrant workers in tourism are chefs, kitchen and catering assistants and waiters and waitresses. The ONS Longitudinal Study showed that those who are non-UK-born were more likely to remain in the sector when compared with UK-born individuals.
Migration and health
Using data from NHS Digital and the Annual Population Survey we’ve been able to provide a better understanding of how international migration contributes to the overall health care workforce in England and the UK.
Our analysis shows around 1.9 million people were employed in health care occupations in the UK in 2018, with British nationals making up 88% of the workforce and non-British nationals making up 12% – 6% were EU nationals and 6% non-EU. The proportion of non-British nationals in the health care workforce has remained broadly stable since 2012.
The proportion of the health workforce that are non-British nationals varies greatly across the UK. In London, almost a quarter of the health workforce were non-British nationals in 2018.
Why have we carried out this work?
Understanding the contribution of migrants to the economy has become even more important in a rapidly changing policy context – including the government’s plans for a new immigration system once the UK exits the European Union.
In January 2019, we published an update on our transformation journey outlining our plan to produce research investigating migration and its contribution to various industries, including health and education.
Our future analysis plans will look to broaden our understanding of international migration and the health workforce, including how this is changing over time and how many workers (both non-British and British) leave the health workforce to work in other non-health sectors or emigrate.
What’s coming up?
Next week we’re releasing our migration statistics quarterly report which will give the latest picture of migration to and from the UK using all sources available. We’re also releasing the conclusions of our work into the coherence of existing migration survey sources, including the International Passenger Survey (IPS) and the Annual Population Survey (APS), to help our users better understand trends in migration.
Jay Lindop is the Deputy Director of the Centre for International Migration
Share this post
Cookies on GOV.UK
We use some essential cookies to make this website work.
We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.
We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.
You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.
You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.
- Society and culture
Overseas travel and tourism, monthly
Seasonally and non-seasonally adjusted estimates of completed international visits to and from the UK.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/releases/overseastravelandtourismmonthly
Official statistics are produced impartially and free from political influence.
Is this page useful?
- Yes this page is useful
- No this page is not useful
Help us improve GOV.UK
Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details.
To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today. We’ll send you a link to a feedback form. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Don’t worry we won’t send you spam or share your email address with anyone.
- Information for...
What are you looking for?
Research and insights.
- Using your device
Gain a deeper knowledge of travel and tourism with our industry-leading data and analysis. We provide expert research into the inbound and domestic visitor landscape across the nations – designed to help inform your business decisions, expand your expertise and identify key growth markets.
These resources cover a wide range of topics, trends, regions, visitor types, businesses and international markets. Discover the latest releases, browse historic reports and examine the data through our visualisations. You can also keep up-to-date with news and insights from our industry experts by subscribing to our fortnightly newsletter .
Latest releases
Ips monthly inbound update december 2023 (published 26th march 2024), report: domestic day visits q4 2023 and 2023 overall (published 12th march 2024), gb tourism survey, summary report: q3 2023, domestic sentiment tracker - march 2024, report: how the world views the uk - nation brands index 2023 (published december 2023), england hotel occupancy - january 2024, explore our research and insights.
VisitBritain/Rama Knight
Visitor economy in England/Britain
The value of tourism in England 2024 inbound tourism forecast
VisitBritain/Getty Images/Roy James Shakespeare
Volume and value of domestic tourism
Great Britain domestic overnight trips: latest results GB domestic overnight trips: archive Great Britain domestic day visits: latest results Great Britain domestic day trips: archive Great Britain domestic overnight and day trips: subnational data
Peter Dazeley / The Image Bank / Getty Images
Volume and value of inbound tourism
About the international passenger survey Inbound visits and spend: monthly, UK Inbound visits and spend: quarterly, regional Inbound visits and spend: quarterly, UK Inbound visits and spend: annual, regional Inbound visits and spend: trends by UK town Inbound visits and spend: annual, UK
Why visitors choose Britain/England
British culture and heritage British transport (IPS) Motivations, influences, decisions and sustainability research UK’s image overseas Discover England Fund research: archive British food and drink Football Shopping Perception of Britain overseas
VisitBritain
England tourism business insights
England Visitor Attractions: latest England Accommodation stock audit England Hotel Occupancy: latest UK short-term rentals England Tourism Business Monitor
VisitBritain/Getty Images
Domestic and inbound visitor insights
Domestic sentiment tracker Domestic Bank holiday trip tracker Activities and experiences Inbound COVID-19 sentiment tracker
Getty Images/E+/JohnnyGreig
Inbound market insights
France Germany Saudi Arabia Spain United Arab Emirates (UAE) United States of America (USA) See all inbound markets
VisitBritain/Brynn Hauxwell
Other related topics
Accessible and inclusive tourism Business events research Impact of crises on holiday taking behaviour: archive
Explore different datasets using our visualisations
Use our visualisations below to explore different datasets in detail.
Upcoming releases
Useful contacts, research and insights.
Contact the team
Email signup link
The latest news, straight to your inbox.
Stay informed: register for newsletters compiled by our specialist teams – for UK businesses, the international travel trade and media professionals.
Frequently asked questions
Browse our responses to key FAQs. For more information on these topics, please contact our research team at [email protected] .
How many inbound visitors come to the UK each year and how much do they spend?
You can explore the latest inbound statistics for the UK by month , quarter and year .
How many GB adults take a domestic trip and how much do they spend?
Please refer to our data for domestic tourism, which is split into day visits and overnight visits .
What are the latest insights on domestic trip intentions?
Please view our Domestic Sentiment Tracker , where we share data on overnight and day trip intentions, motivations to take a trip, activities planned for that trip, as well as barriers to taking a trip.
Where can I find insights and data on the UK’s overseas visitors?
You can explore global market data using our interactive visualisations by quarter and by year , where you can specify the data you need and see trends over time. You can also visit our inbound market pages .
Do you have any insights on accessible and inclusive tourism?
Yes, our Accessibility and inclusion page has various reports and insights, as well as links to external resources relevant to the topic.
What activities do inbound visitors and domestic trip-takers like to do on their holidays?
We have published insights from a range of sources and projects on our Holiday activities and experiences page.
What are the most popular visitor attractions in England?
Every year, we conduct a national survey of visits to visitor attractions . You can find visitor numbers for almost 2,000 attractions in the detailed survey reports, while separate ‘Top 20’ listings show the most popular attractions nationally and regionally.
How do inbound visitors to the UK research and book their trips?
We explored the trip-booking journey in our MIDAS research ; please see the Full Report, chapter 9, from page 139.
I am setting up a tourism business, do you have any insight that would help me?
Our Discover England Fund included a programme of strategic research, covering travel product development, case studies, insights into a range of destinations and activities, market opportunity guidance and travel trade research. While it is dated 2019, most of its information and insights remain valid.
What are your predictions for Inbound Tourism over the coming months?
Please see our inbound tourism forecast .
How can I stay up-to-date with the latest research, insights and statistics?
To find out when the next updates will be published, please refer to our release timetable , which includes publication dates for all our major surveys. You can also subscribe to our newsletter .
I've looked at your website and I still can't find the information I need.
Please contact us directly ; we will do our best to help.
Explore our curated information for...
Everything you need to inspire your clients. Discover new products, experiences and itinerary ideas – plus useful resources and the latest market insights.
Reach new customers and increase your profitability. Drive sales with our tools, events and training, find out about quality assessment and get expert guidance from the England Business Advice Hub.
Build sustainable and valuable growth. Learn about England’s new destination management structure, find expert advice, and boost your proposition with our training and toolkits.
Access resources for business events to support your business development and event strategy. Discover England, Scotland and Wales' business event offering for your next conference, incentive, exhibition or event.
Discover our media centres, image and video library and latest press releases, plus contacts for our corporate and consumer press teams.
Studying tourism at school, college or university? We’ve gathered essential resources and data for students of tourism, plus information about our internships.
IMAGES
COMMENTS
Overseas residents spent £10.1 billion on their visits to the UK in Quarter 3 2023, an increase of £1 billion compared with visits in Quarter 3 2022. UK residents made 28.3 million visits abroad in Quarter 3 2023; this compares with 25 million visits in Quarter 3 2022. Read this statistical bulletin. More publications.
There were 3.0 million visits to the UK by overseas visitors in June 2022; an increase from 2.8 million visits in May 2022. Visits by overseas visitors to the UK in June 2022 are still lower than pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic levels, down 19% from 3.7 million in June 2019. Overseas residents spent £2.7 billion in the UK in June 2022.
Main points. Nature contributed an estimated £12 billion to tourism and outdoor leisure within the UK in 2019. The number of outdoor-related activities participated in across the UK rose from 1.2 billion to 1.5 billion between 2011 and 2016. Outdoor-related activities in urban settings accounted for over 60% of all nature-based spending in ...
UK residents spent £15.5 billion on visits abroad in 2021, an increase of 13% compared with modelled data for 2020. The average spend per visit was £808 in 2021. Values for 2020 are not known, but this was an increase from £670 in 2019. Some of this increase is because of the longer time spent abroad.
A total of £28.4 billion was spent on visits to the UK by overseas residents in 2019, an increase of 7% compared with 2018 (Figure 6). The increase in spending was bigger than the increase in visits (1%). One factor in the larger increase in spending is the higher average spend per day (increasing from £91 in 2018 to £98 in 2019) and the ...
Source: International Travel and Tourism from the Office for National Statistics. Download this chart. Image .csv .xls. Overseas spending in the UK increased from £5.6 billion in 2021 to £26.5 billion in 2022, an increase of £20.9 billion (Figure 4). This was a 7% decrease when compared with 2019.
UK residents spent £13.8 billion on visits abroad in 2020, a fall of 78% compared with 2019. The average spend per visit has decreased from £670 in 2019 to £578 in 2020, contributing to the overall decrease in spending. Overseas spending in the UK also fell to £6.2 billion; this was 78% less than in 2019 (Figure 2).
Visits to the UK decreased from 3.2 million in November 2022 to 3.0 million in December 2022. Spending by overseas residents visiting the UK rose from £2.1 billion in November 2022 to £2.4 billion in December 2022. UK residents' visits overseas fell from 4.4 million in November 2022 to 4.0 million in December 2022.
[email protected] +44 1329 444661 Article Travel trends: 2019 Annual estimates of travel and tourism visits to the UK (of less than 12 months' duration) and associated earnings and expenditure between the UK and the rest of the world. Table of contents 1. Main points 2. Overview and COVID-19 3. UK residents visits and spend abroad 4.
Travel and tourism review: October 2021. Update on progress on the travel and tourism statistics review, including proposed future approach and details of a user consultation. From: Office for ...
[email protected] +44 1329 444593 Article Travel and tourism review : October 2021 Update on progress on the travel and tourism statistics review, including proposed future approach and details of a user consultation. Table of contents 1. Overview of project progress 2. Introduction 3. General progress 4.
How has the coronavirus pandemic affected the UK travel and tourism industry? Find out the latest data and analysis from the Office for National Statistics, covering the impact on businesses, employment, trade and travel patterns in 2020 and 2021.
We would like to use cookies to collect information about how you use ons.gov.uk. We use this information to make the website work as well as possible and improve our services. Accept all cookies. ... Overseas travel and tourism: May 2022 provisional results. Visits to the UK by overseas residents, visits abroad by UK residents and spending by ...
when visiting friends and relatives was the most popular reason for travel to the UK. Estimated spending in the UK by overseas visitors was £9.1 billion in Quarter 3 2022, compared with £1.8 billion in Quarter 3 2021. An increase in spending was seen for all areas of the world but the largest rise was for residents from Europe.
Overseas residents spent £5.8 billion on their visits to the UK in 2021; this was 7% less than in 2020. UK residents made 19.1 million visits abroad in 2021, which was 20% less than the previous year and was because of the continued travel restrictions. UK residents spent £15.5 billion on visits abroad in 2021; this was an 12% increase on 2020.
This affects the following releases: Travel trends: 2021 Overseas travel and tourism: April 2022 provisional results Corrections have been made to the main points, commentary and accompanying data tables. Publication of our monthly and quarterly overseas travel and tourism releases will resume as soon as possible. We apologise for the ...
UK travellers visiting overseas and international visitors spending time in the UK. Tourism agencies and the devolved administrations use these statistics to inform policy decisions, and the data feed into the UK National Accounts - in particular, trade and household expenditure statistics. Domestic travel and tourism responsibility lies with ...
UK natural capital accounts: Tourism. In this article we put into practice new methods for estimating the value of outdoor tourism in the UK. It will detail total numbers of visits, the activities ...
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. From January to June 2022, the ONS was unable to restart ...
In the past year the ONS has produced new insights into the contribution of migrants to the agriculture, ... there was an average of 3.2 million people working in tourism in the UK, with the industry having a higher proportion of non-British nationals (16%) when compared with all other sectors (11%). Of the 501,000 non-British nationals who ...
[email protected] +44 (0)1633 455731 Article Overseas travel and tourism : 2020 Annual estimates of visits to the UK by overseas residents, visits abroad by UK residents and estimates of spending by travellers, using administrative sources of passenger travel data for the period covering April to December 2020. Table of contents 1. Main ...
In 2022, the UK welcomed 31.2m visits following two years of extremely low visits due to the impact of COVID-19 (down 24% vs 2019). In 2022, visitors spent £26.5bn during the 12 months of 2022, down 7% on 2019 (in nominal terms) with Q4 2022 reaching a record £7.7bn.Taking inflation into account, visitor spend would have been 17% below 2019 levels, equivalent to £23.5bn in 2019 prices.
Overseas travel and tourism, monthly. Seasonally and non-seasonally adjusted estimates of completed international visits to and from the UK. From: Office for National Statistics. Published. 26 ...
Overseas and UK residents' visits to and from the UK, 2001 to 2022 Source: International Travel and Tourism from the Office for National Statistics Overseas spending in the UK increased from £5.6 billion in 2021 to £26.5 billion in 2022, an increase of £20.9 billion (Figure 4). This was a 7% decrease when compared with 2019.
Gain a deeper knowledge of travel and tourism with our industry-leading data and analysis. We provide expert research into the inbound and domestic visitor landscape across the nations - designed to help inform your business decisions, expand your expertise and identify key growth markets. These resources cover a wide range of topics, trends ...
Tourism in the United Kingdom is a major industry and contributor to the U.K. economy, which is the world's 10th biggest tourist destination, with over 40.1 million visiting in 2019, contributing a total of £234 billion to the GDP. [1] [2] £23.1 billion was spent in the UK by foreign tourists in 2017. VisitBritain data shows that the USA ...