Monthly outbound tourist visits from the UK 2018-2022

The number of outbound visits from the United Kingdom gradually bounced back in 2022, after decreasing sharply with the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As of December 2022, visits abroad from the United Kingdom totaled roughly 4.1 million, rising sharply from December 2021 but remaining below pre-pandemic levels. Over the period considered, monthly outbound visits from the UK peaked at around 11.6 million in August 2019.

Tourism in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic turned the global tourism industry upside down, with countries worldwide enacting lockdowns and travel bans to limit the spread of the virus. As a result of the emergency measures, the total number of outbound tourist visits from the United Kingdom declined by 74 percent in 2020 over the previous year, then dropped even further in 2021, reaching the lowest figure in a decade. Meanwhile, the impact of the health crisis on inbound tourist visits in the UK was even harder, with the country recording just 6.4 million visits from abroad in 2021.

Contribution of travel and tourism to the economy in the UK

In 2021, travel and tourism in the United Kingdom generated, directly and indirectly, roughly 131.5 billion British pounds. While the total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in the UK rose by around 40 percent compared to the first year of the health crisis, this figure remained below pre-pandemic levels. In 2021, these industries supported approximately 4.11 million jobs in the country. Even in this case, however, travel and tourism's total contribution to employment in the UK did not catch up with the figure reported in 2019.