American tourists drive UK’s recovery
More Americans are traveling to the UK and they are spending more than they did in 2019
Nearly 4.6 million Americans went to the UK last year, up 2 percent from 2019. Leisure travel was the most popular reason, accounting for 48 percent of visits, followed by 29 percent visiting friends and relatives and 13 percent for business travel, according to the latest official data from the UK’s International Passenger Survey and the Office of National Statistics.
Key takeaways
- Historically one of the UK’s biggest source markets, American demand has bounced back fast following the pandemic;
- In contrast, the UK’s global market has not returned as quickly. Globally, Britain received 31.2 million visitors, down 24 percent from 2019;
- Americans spent a record $7.45 billion in the UK, up 42% from 2019, according to VisitBritain.
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