Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes was 31.30 million trips in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
31.30 million trips
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
8th
of 179 countries
All-time high
31.59 million trips
in 2019
All-time low
5.00 million trips
in 2021
Years of data
29
1995–2024

Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in United Kingdom, 1995–2024

010.0M20.0M30.0M1995200920241995: 17.0M trips1996: 18.2M trips1997: 18.5M trips1998: 18.2M trips1999: 17.6M trips2000: 17.2M trips2001: 15.4M trips2002: 16.3M trips2003: 17.1M trips2004: 19.7M trips2005: 21.2M trips2006: 23.0M trips2007: 23.3M trips2008: 23.2M trips2009: 23.6M trips2010: 22.8M trips2011: 23.8M trips2012: 23.9M trips2013: 24.9M trips2014: 26.1M trips2015: 27.2M trips2016: 29.1M trips2017: 31.5M trips2018: 30.9M trips2019: 31.6M trips2021: 5.0M trips2022: 25.4M trips2023: 30.7M trips2024: 31.3M trips

Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in trips.

Analysis

United Kingdom recorded 31.30 million trips for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 19.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in United Kingdom peaked at 31.59 million trips in 2019 and was at its lowest, 5.00 million trips, in 2021.

United Kingdom ranks 8th of 179 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 17.89 million trips 16.98 million trips 18.46 million trips 5
2000s 20.01 million trips 15.45 million trips 23.62 million trips 10
2010s 27.19 million trips 22.85 million trips 31.59 million trips 10
2020s 23.10 million trips 5.00 million trips 31.30 million trips 4

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 6 Hungary 44.31 million trips compare
  2. 7 China 42.83 million trips compare
  3. 9 Denmark 30.29 million trips compare
  4. 10 Saudi Arabia 27.75 million trips compare
  5. 11 Russia 26.21 million trips compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More reference data data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in United Kingdom?
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in United Kingdom was 31.30 million trips in 2024, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 31.59 million trips in 2019.
What is the lowest arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 5.00 million trips in 2021.
How does United Kingdom rank for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes?
United Kingdom ranks 8th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
Is arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 19.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes
Unit
trips
Source
UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 4,054 data points, 1995–2024
Last refreshed

Number of international trips where the main purpose is personal (leisure, visiting friends and relatives, health, etc.) and the visitor stays overnight.