Supporting the recovery & growth of inbound tourism—Ensuring a sustainable recovery of visitor numbers & spending. This is while maximizing regional distribution through an upcoming strategy for visitor economy growth.
Enabling transport connectivity—Working in partnership with the border industry as well as users of the border to design, deliver, and innovate around the border in line with the ’25 UK Border Strategy.
Developing the tourism workforce – Aligning vocational training and apprenticeships as well as sector-led workforce standards in addressing shortages through the Hospitality Sector-based Work Academy Programme.
Economy & Outlook in Tourism
Tourism’s a driver of economic growth for Britain. The number of businesses in tourism-related industries fell by 195, reaching a total of 253,383 in March 2023, compared to March 2022. In ’24, the sector contributed USD 86.16 (£64.3) billion in nominal terms to the British economy. This amounted to 2.6% of GVA. Travel exports amounted to 13% of total service exports in ’24.
Britain recorded 39.0 million international arrivals in ’24. This reflects an increase of 2.8% when compared with ’23. International tourist expenditure was estimated at USD 48.51 (£36.2) billion. The top 3 source markets for overnight visitors in ’24 were the U.S. (14.6%), France (9.4%), and Germany (8.7%). As for domestic tourism, Britain recorded 105.6 million domestic overnight tourists. That’s 10.1% below the levels of ’23.
VisitBritain projects sustained growth in visits as well as nominal spending during this year (’26). However, wider economic conditions, exchange rates, and global competition may temper momentum. VisitBritain’s present forecast is 45.6 million inbound visits in ’26 with supporting visitor expenditure of USD 47.84 (£35.70) billion.
Tourism governance
The Department for Culture, Media & Sports is responsible for tourism policy development in Britain. The Visitor Economy Advisory Council is a joint industry initiative. The government-led board is composed of employers and small businesses, as well as representative organizations from across the visitor economy.
