Overseas Visitor Profile
The International Passenger Survey (IPS) provides information on visits and spend by international travellers to the UK. This is a sample survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics. Around 250,000 interviews are carried out each year representing 0.2% of all travellers as they enter or leave the UK. Of these, approximately 55,000 interviews are carried out with international travellers departing the UK in order to collect information on, for example, spend and length of stay.
Top overseas markets to the South East, ranked by 2006 visits
| Visits ('000) | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total South East | 3,950 | 4,144 | 4,317 | 4,412 |
| Germany | 435 | 527 | 528 | 535 |
| USA | 535 | 497 | 541 | 504 |
| France | 534 | 477 | 496 | 496 |
| Spain | 243 | 276 | 260 | 296 |
| Netherlands | 221 | 231 | 253 | 255 |
| Irish Republic | 205 | 240 | 224 | 251 |
| Australia | 157 | 173 | 191 | 176 |
| Italy | 198 | 158 | 153 | 171 |
| Poland | - | - | - | 150 |
| Canada | 130 | 127 | 145 | 141 |
| % of Visits | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 11 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
| USA | 14 | 12 | 12 | 11 |
| France | 14 | 12 | 11 | 11 |
| Spain | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 |
| Netherlands | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Irish Republic | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| Australia | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Italy | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Poland | - | - | - | 3 |
| Canada | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Top overseas markets to the South East, ranked by 2006 spend
| Spend (£Mn) | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total South East | 1,467 | 1,470 | 1,679 | 1,592 |
| USA | 216 | 207 | 276 | 200 |
| Germany | 93 | 126 | 151 | 164 |
| France | 115 | 103 | 152 | 118 |
| Spain | 73 | 83 | 88 | 87 |
| Italy | 73 | 53 | 52 | 79 |
| Australia | 59 | 72 | 78 | 66 |
| Netherlands | 42 | 52 | 55 | 65 |
| Irish Republic | 51 | 64 | 55 | 63 |
| China | - | - | - | 54 |
| Canada | 64 | 35 | 41 | 49 |
| % of Spend | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | 15 | 14 | 16 | 13 |
| Germany | 6 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| France | 8 | 7 | 9 | 7 |
| Spain | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Italy | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Australia | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Netherlands | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Irish Republic | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| China | - | - | - | 3 |
| Canada | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Purpose of Visit
| % of Visits | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday | 27 | 28 | 24 | 27 |
| VFR | 36 | 35 | 37 | 38 |
| Business | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 |
| Study | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Other | 8 | 7 | 9 | 7 |
VFR = Visit to friend or relative
Seasonality
| % of Visits | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January - March | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 |
| April - June | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
| July -September | 35 | 34 | 35 | 33 |
| October -December | 21 | 22 | 21 | 22 |
| % of Spend | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January - March | 15 | 16 | 15 | 19 |
| April - June | 22 | 22 | 24 | 22 |
| July -September | 38 | 36 | 38 | 40 |
| October -December | 25 | 25 | 23 | 19 |
Travel to UK
| % of Visits | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air | 68 | 69 | 72 | 71 |
| Sea | 21 | 21 | 18 | 19 |
| Tunnel | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| % of Spend | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air | 82 | 82 | 84 | 84 |
| Sea | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 |
| Tunnel | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
Averages
| All visits to South East | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length of stay (Days) | 7.9 | 7.9 | 8.3 | 7.3 |
| Expenditure per Day (£) | 46.90 | 45.00 | 46.70 | 49.56 |
| Expenditure per Visit (£) | 371.70 | 354.70 | 388.90 | 360.8 |
Source: International Passenger Survey, Office for National Statistics