Spotlight

Overseas travel and tourism, UK, provisional: July to September 2021
What's in the bulletin?
- Overseas residents made 1.3 million visits by air to the UK in Quarter 3 (July to Sept) 2021; this was a decrease of 86% compared with Quarter 3 (July to Sept) 2019, as travel continued to be restricted because of coronavirus (COVID-19).
- Overseas residents spent £1.2 billion on their visits to the UK in Quarter 3 2021; this was a decrease of 87% compared with Quarter 3 2019.
- UK residents made 6.1 million visits abroad by air in Quarter 3 2021; this was a decrease of 76% compared with Quarter 3 2019, which is attributable to coronavirus.

Attitudes towards COVID-19 among passengers arriving into the UK: February 2021 to July 2021
What's in the bulletin?
- Most UK residents arriving in the UK found following overseas coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions either difficult, or very difficult (84% in July 2021); but conversely, most overseas residents said that they understood UK COVID-19 restrictions either quite well, or very well.
- Despite understanding UK COVID-19 restrictions quite well or very well, most overseas residents said between February and July 2021 that they were either not at all confident, or not very confident in accessing information about UK COVID-19 restrictions.
- The number of UK residents arriving back into the UK who have been vaccinated rose between February to July 2021, from 6% to 78%, a trend broadly reflecting the vaccine rollout in the UK over this time period.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) roundup
Catch up on the latest data and analysis related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its impact on our economy and society.
Datasets related to Leisure and tourism
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Overseas travel and tourism, monthly
Seasonally and non-seasonally adjusted estimates of completed international visits to and from the UK.
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Overseas travel and tourism time series
Seasonally and non-seasonally adjusted estimates of completed international visits to and from the UK. Based on International Passenger Survey data.
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Overseas travel and tourism, quarterly
Seasonally adjusted and non-seasonally adjusted estimates of completed international visits to and from the UK and earnings and expenditure associated with these visits.
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Travelpac: travel to and from the UK
Quarterly data on travel to and from the UK, taken from the International Passenger Survey (IPS). Includes detail on age and sex of travellers, purpose and length of trip, and spending. These data are in a form suitable for small businesses and students. National Statistics designation applies to the data for all periods up to 2019. Designation has been temporarily withdrawn for Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2020, due to incomplete data collection as a result of coronavirus (Covid-19).
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Travel trends estimates: overseas residents in the UK
Annual estimates on visits and spending in the UK by overseas residents, by purpose and region of visit. New methods were introduced for producing the 2019 estimates. The datasets presented for 2019, and for 2009 to 2019, contain estimates produced using the new method. The other datasets presented on this page were produced using the previous method and are now superseded.
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Travel trends estimates: UK residents‘ visits abroad
Annual estimates on visits and spending by UK residents abroad, by purpose and region of visit. New methods were introduced for producing the 2019 estimates. The datasets presented for 2019, and for 2009 to 2019, contain estimates produced using the new method. The other datasets presented on this page were produced using the previous method and are now superseded.
Publications related to Leisure and tourism
Statistical bulletins
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Overseas travel and tourism, UK, provisional: July to September 2021
Visits to the UK by overseas residents, visits abroad by UK residents and spending estimates by travellers, using administrative sources of passenger travel data.
Articles
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Young people expect high pay and leisure time from self-employment
As the number of young people working for themselves continues to rise, analysis reveals a gap between expectations and reality.
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Overseas travel and tourism, provisional
Quarterly estimates of visits to the UK by overseas residents, air visits abroad by UK residents and spending estimates by travellers, using the International Passenger Survey and administrative sources of passenger travel covering April to December 2020.
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Holidays in the 1990s and now
Since the 1990s, we're going on more holidays... but they're shorter than they used to be. Explore three decades of changing tourism habits.
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Leisure time in the UK
An article looking at how much leisure time people in the UK take, and how that differs according to various aspects such as age or gender. This analysis gives an insight into the nation’s work-life balance, and also how much people enjoy their leisure time.
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Brits spend 29% of their leisure time alone
The Great Get Together, inspired by Jo Cox, aims to bring people across the UK together this weekend. ONS analysis shows that we spend most of our free time with others, but 100 minutes of our free time alone every day.
Methodology related to Leisure and tourism
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A handy guide to let you know where to find local statistics.