Overseas Visitor Profile
The International Passenger Survey (IPS) involves a face-to-face interview with a random sample of foreign nationals. 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.
Averages for trips to the South East 2004 - 2009
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
| Length of trip (nights) | 7.9 | 7.9 | 8.3 | 7.3 | 7.1 | TBC |
| Expenditure per 24 hours | £46.90 | £45.00 | £46.70 | £49.56 | £55.50 | TBC |
| Expenditure per trip | £371.70 | £354.70 | £388.90 | £360.8 | £394.05 | TBC |
Source: International Passenger Survey (IPS), VisitBritain
Top 10 overseas markets for the South East 2004 - 2009, ranked by volume of trips
| Trips (000) | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Total South East | 3,950 | 4,144 | 4,317 | 4,468 | 4,559 | 4,266 |
| France | 534 | 477 | 496 | 514 | 589 | 565 |
| Germany | 435 | 527 | 528 | 535 | 506 | 533 |
| USA | 535 | 497 | 541 | 504 | 432 | 399 |
| Spain | 243 | 276 | 260 | 296 | 242 | 315 |
| Ireland | 205 | 240 | 224 | 251 | 309 | 270 |
| Netherlands | 221 | 231 | 253 | 255 | 307 | 265 |
| Australia | 157 | 173 | 191 | 176 | 171 | 174 |
| Belguim | 133 | 166 | 116 | 131 | 161 | 131 |
| Poland | - | - | - | 150 | 204 | 129 |
| Canada | 130 | 127 | 145 | 139 | 145 | 120 |
| % 2004 | % 2005 | % 2006 | % 2007 | % 2008 | % 2009 | |
| France | 14 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 |
| Germany | 11 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 |
| USA | 14 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 9 |
| Spain | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 7 |
| Ireland | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| Netherlands | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| Australia | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Belgium | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Poland | - | - | - | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Canada | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Source: International Passenger Survey (IPS), VisitBritain
Top 10 overseas markets to the South East 2004 - 2009, ranked by trip expenditure
| Spend (Mn) | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Total South East | 1,467 | 1,470 | 1,679 | 1,578 | 1,799 | 1,819 |
| USA | 216 | 207 | 276 | 200 | 189 | 233 |
| France | 115 | 103 | 152 | 118 | 151 | 203 |
| Germany | 93 | 126 | 151 | 164 | 133 | 176 |
| Spain | 73 | 83 | 88 | 87 | 107 | 109 |
| Australia | 59 | 72 | 78 | 66 | 87 | 100 |
| Ireland | 51 | 64 | 55 | 63 | 80 | 77 |
| Netherlands | 42 | 52 | 55 | 65 | 136 | 72 |
| Italy | 73 | 53 | 52 | 78 | 80 | 45 |
| Switzerland | 46 | 33 | 37 | 46 | 31 | 44 |
| Canada | 64 | 35 | 41 | 47 | 39 | 43 |
| % 2004 | % 2005 | % 2006 | % 2007 | % 2008 | % 2009 | |
| USA | 15 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 13 |
| France | 8 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 11 |
| Germany | 6 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 10 |
| Spain | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Australia | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Ireland | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Netherlands | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 4 |
| Italy | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| Switzerland | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Canada | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
Source: International Passenger Survey (IPS), VisitBritain
Purpose of Visit to the South East by overseas visitors 2004 - 2009
| % 2004 | % 2005 | % 2006 | % 2007 | % 2008 | % 2009 | |
| Holiday | 27 | 28 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 33 |
| VFR | 36 | 35 | 37 | 38 | 36 | 37 |
| Business | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 20 |
| Study | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Other | 8 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7 |
Source: International Passenger Survey (IPS), VisitBritain
Transport used by Overseas Visitors to Reach the South East 2004 - 2009
| % 2004 | % 2005 | % 2006 | % 2007 | % 2008 | % 2009 | |
| Air | 68 | 69 | 72 | 71 | 66 | 64 |
| Sea | 21 | 21 | 18 | 19 | 23 | 26 |
| Tunnel | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 |
Source: International Passenger Survey (IPS), VisitBritain
For further statistics on overseas visitors trips to the UK visit the IPS pages on the VisitBritain website by clicking here.