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Overseas travel stagnated in spring quarter

The number of trips overseas from the UK fell in April and remained the same year-on-year in May, new official data reveals.

Inbound visits to the UK also dropped across both months, according to the Office for National Statistics. The inbound fall came despite the weak pound making the country more affordable to foreign travellers.

An estimated 6.1 million outbound trips in April was 4% down on the same month last year.

However, spending rose by 11% to £3.7 billion on visits overseas.

An estimated 6.2 million foreign trips were taken visits in May, the same level as in May 2018, but spending dropped by 3% to £3.7 billion.

A total of 17.1 million visits abroad were made in the three months to May – the same as the corresponding spring quarter a year earlier. Overall spending edged up by 1% to £10.4 billion.

The proportion of trips to countries outside Europe and North America fell by 4% to 2.7 million in the quarter.

Travel to the US and Canada plunged by 21% year-on-year to 800,000 while visits to European countries rose by 2% to 13.6 million.

Those taking holidays in the quarter increased by 2% to 11.2 million, business trips declined by 11% to 1.5 million, while visits to friends and relatives was pegged at 4.1 million.

A no-deal Brexit could lead to a 5% fall in overseas travel and tourism from British residents next year, according to research by Oxford Economics, The Times reported.

Meanwhile, the UK attracted 8% fewer visitors at 3.1 million in April and 6% less in May at 3.3million.

Spending in April was down by 14% at 1.6 billion and was 1% less in May at £2.1 billion.

This contributed to a 5% drop in overseas arrivals to the UK to 9.4 million in the March to May period. They spent 7% less at £5.3 billion.

Visits from North America grew by 10% to 1.2 million but numbers from other European countries fell by 6% to 6.9 million and arrivals from other countries was down by 7% to 1.2 million.

The number of holiday arrivals was down by 6% to 3.8 million, business visits fell by 5% to 2.2 million, and visits to friends and relatives decreased by 3% to 2.8 million.

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