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
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in United Kingdom, 1995–2024
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.
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | trips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 16.98 million trips | — |
| 1996 | 18.24 million trips | +7.4% |
| 1997 | 18.46 million trips | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 18.16 million trips | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 17.63 million trips | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 17.20 million trips | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 15.45 million trips | -10.2% |
| 2002 | 16.34 million trips | +5.8% |
| 2003 | 17.12 million trips | +4.8% |
| 2004 | 19.70 million trips | +15.0% |
| 2005 | 21.20 million trips | +7.6% |
| 2006 | 23.00 million trips | +8.5% |
| 2007 | 23.28 million trips | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 23.20 million trips | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 23.62 million trips | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 22.85 million trips | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 23.77 million trips | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 23.93 million trips | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 24.87 million trips | +3.9% |
| 2014 | 26.13 million trips | +5.1% |
| 2015 | 27.19 million trips | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 29.11 million trips | +7.1% |
| 2017 | 31.51 million trips | +8.3% |
| 2018 | 30.92 million trips | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 31.59 million trips | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 5.00 million trips | -84.2% |
| 2022 | 25.44 million trips | +408.9% |
| 2023 | 30.65 million trips | +20.5% |
| 2024 | 31.30 million trips | +2.1% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 31.30 million trips is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.47 million trips, 12.7× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 31.30 million trips is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.42 million trips, 7.1× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in United Kingdom changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +408.9% | 5.00 million trips | 25.44 million trips |
| 2021 | -84.2% | 31.59 million trips | 5.00 million trips |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for United Kingdom
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 59.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.48 (2050)
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.
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CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of international trips where the main purpose is personal (leisure, visiting friends and relatives, health, etc.) and the visitor stays overnight.