Overseas Visitor Profile
The International Passenger Survey (IPS) is a survey of a random sample of passengers entering and leaving the UK by air, sea or the Channel Tunnel. Over a quarter of million face-to-face interviews are carried out each year with passengers entering and leaving the UK through the main airports, seaports and the Channel Tunnel.
The following tables summarise the key characteristics of UK residents' trips to the South East. The totals have been rounded and therefore the results may not always equal 100%.
Please note that data for 2009 will not be available until May 2010.
Averages
| All visits to South East | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Length of stay (days) | 7.9 | 7.9 | 8.3 | 7.3 | 7.1 |
| Expenditure per day (£) | 46.90 | 45.00 | 46.70 | 49.56 | 55.50 |
| Expenditure per stay (£) | 371.70 | 354.70 | 388.90 | 360.8 | 394.05 |
Top overseas markets to the South East, ranked by 2008 visits
| Visits ('000) | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total South East | 3,950 | 4,144 | 4,317 | 4,468 | 4,573 |
| France | 534 | 477 | 496 | 514 | 589 |
| Germany | 435 | 527 | 528 | 535 | 506 |
| USA | 535 | 497 | 541 | 504 | 432 |
| Irish Republic | 205 | 240 | 224 | 251 | 309 |
| Netherlands | 221 | 231 | 253 | 255 | 307 |
| Spain | 243 | 276 | 260 | 296 | 242 |
| Poland | - | - | - | 150 | 204 |
| Italy | 198 | 158 | 153 | 171 | 198 |
| Australia | 157 | 173 | 191 | 176 | 171 |
| Belguim | 133 | 166 | 116 | 131 | 161 |
| % of Visits | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 14 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 13 |
| Germany | 11 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 |
| USA | 14 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 9 |
| Irish Republic | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Netherlands | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| Spain | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5 |
| Poland | - | - | - | 3 | 4 |
| Italy | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Australia | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Belgium | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Top overseas markets to the South East, ranked by 2008 spend
| Spend (£Mn) | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total South East | 1,467 | 1,470 | 1,679 | 1,578 | 1,802 |
| USA | 216 | 207 | 276 | 200 | 188 |
| France | 115 | 103 | 152 | 118 | 152 |
| Netherlands | 42 | 52 | 55 | 65 | 138 |
| Germany | 93 | 126 | 151 | 164 | 132 |
| Spain | 73 | 83 | 88 | 87 | 107 |
| Australia | 59 | 72 | 78 | 66 | 88 |
| Italy | 73 | 53 | 52 | 79 | 80 |
| Irish Republic | 51 | 64 | 55 | 63 | 80 |
| Poland | - | - | - | 50 | 58 |
| Hong Kong | 25 | 41 | 15 | 10 | 50 |
| % of Spend | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | 15 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 10 |
| France | 8 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 8 |
| Netherlands | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| Germany | 6 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 7 |
| Spain | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Australia | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Italy | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Irish Republic | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Poland | - | - | - | 3 | 3 |
| Hong Kong | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Purpose of Visit
| % of Visits | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday | 27 | 28 | 24 | 27 | 28 |
| VFR | 36 | 35 | 37 | 38 | 36 |
| Business | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 27 |
| Study | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Other | 8 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 6 |
VFR = Visit to friend or relative
Travel to UK
| % of Visits | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air | 68 | 69 | 72 | 71 | 66 |
| Sea | 21 | 21 | 18 | 19 | 23 |
| Tunnel | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 |
| % of Spend | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air | 82 | 82 | 84 | 84 | 83 |
| Sea | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Tunnel | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
For further statistics on overseas visitors visit the IPS pages on the VisitBritain website by clicking here.