Over 50 stats, numbers and trends on London tourism - triple Germany (2023)

The tourist scene in London and the UK as a whole has largely been viewed through the lens of Brexit in recent years. In the face of Covid-19, labor shortages in the hospitality and service sectors are disproportionately affecting markets like London. Despite these challenges, London attracts some 30 million visitors from around the world every year.

Tourism contributes £106 billion to the UK economy and GDP and supports 2.6 million jobs. By 2025, the UK tourism industry is expected to be worth over £257 billion, equivalent to around 10% of UK GDP. The industry supports 3.8 million jobs and has a huge impact on the UK economy.

London tourism statistics show the popularity of the capital compared to other places in the UK, with the city having 8 times more visitors than the second most visited city. Bank holidays are the main reason tourists visit the UK, 63% of visits to the UK are bank holidays.

Below are some of the key trends in the London tourism industry.

TRENDS BEFORE AND AFTER THE PANDEMIC

1. London is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and the city is home to several famous tourist attractions. London beckonsabout 30 million visitorsfrom around the world every year.
2. The capital attracts eight times as many travelers as the second most visited city in the UK.
3. The Royal Botanic Gardens (Kew Gardens) was London's most-visited tourist attraction in 2021, welcoming almost two million visitors.
4. The United States, France and Germany are the top 3 countries to visit London in 2019. With 3.09 million visitors, most tourists come from the United States.
5. London's tourism industry has been hit hard by COVID-19, which has kept many business and leisure tourists away from England's capital.
6. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, London was thethird most visited city in the world, with a record of 21.7 million visitors in 2019.
7. The city lost £10.9bn in tourism revenue in 2020 compared to before the 2019 crisis.
8. London tourism businesses are suffering and continue to face a barrage of challenges. These include the UK government's plans to increase VAT in April 2022, staff shortages exacerbated by Brexit and COVID-19, health concerns over the pandemic and the rising cost of living.
9. London's tourism sector is expected to benefit from the planned multi-billion dollar campaign to attract visitors to the city.
10. The Mayor of London is reportedly planning to spend £10 million to attract domestic tourists to London as an extension of "let's do london'.
11. According to Google Trends, Google search volumes for keywords popular with tourists, such as"Visit London"mi"London Hotel", by the end of 2022 it had not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

    

    Google search volume for the keyword"Visit London". Source: Google Trends

    

    Google search volume for the keyword"London Hotel". Source: Google Trends

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MOTIVES AND HABITS OF TOURISTS TO LONDON

12. London's cultural experience is highly appealing to all ages, with young and old alike ranking it as one of the top attractions to visit.
13. The predominant reason for leisure visits to London is the cultural experience of the city. It's the impressive array of museums, galleries, exhibits and attractions.
14. International visitors view a visit to the UK as an educational trip, London's top 7 attractions are museums and galleries, visitors want to learn in Britain's most popular city.
15. In general, word of mouth and Internet research have the greatest influence on which cultural attractions tourists visit, although guidebooks guide more visits for foreign travelers.
16. West End shows are especially attractive to domestic tourists and older visitors, while London's historical sights are more sought after by foreign tourists.
17. The most popular tourist activity and attraction is tourism.

DEMOGRAPHY

18. Tourists between the ages of 25 and 44 recorded the highest number of visits to London.
19. with a little lessSeven millionannual visitor, the British Museum is themost visited attractionin the UK and the fifth most visited museum in the world.
20. There is a strong demand for urban architecture and landmarks across most age groups.

MORE INDUSTRY TRENDS

20. London is the most popular tourist destination in Great Britain.
21. Peak tourist season in London is pretty much year-round, but late spring (and summer) are particularly busy.
22. Activities that specifically focus on “city life”, such as eating out, socializing and shopping, are the most popular things for foreign visitors.
23. Visitors spent approximately £8.2 billionOMStraveled to londonBusiness travelers spent around £3.6bn on holiday in 2019.
24. Until international visitors return to London in significant numbers, domestic tourists must become the target of the city's tourism sector.
25. While global international tourist arrivals have increased significantly year-on-year, the numbers are still 67% below pre-pandemic levels.
26. London competes to attract tourists;Competing cities are already beating London in terms of advertising and spending.
27. Trips to London for holidays or bridges have an average duration of 4.8 nights. However, open-minded visitors who traveled to London for study purposes stayed longer, averaging 18 nights.
28. With the survival of the airlines threatened, international tourists traveling to London may find they have fewer options for getting there.
29. Tourism plays an important role in London's social and economic life, supporting and contributing to one in seven jobs in the capital.nearly 12 percent of London's GDP.
30. International arrivals are expected to return to pre-pandemic levels by 2024, with an estimated 39.8 million arrivals. (CAGR 2022-24: 8.6%).
31. The pandemic has caused an increase in domestic travel in the UK. Also look for terms like "stay in the UK"mi"glamping holidays ukhas increased by more than 400%, further underscoring the growing interest of the UK population in spending their holidays at home.
32. One in five Londoners are now more likely to use travel agencies than before the pandemic.
33. Travel agencies and tour operators have reported a significant increase in bookings for the upcoming spring and summer season in recent weeks.
34. In 2021 Brits would spend an estimated £770 on domestic summer holidays.
35. Tourism is the fastest growing industry in Britain. Growth of 3.8% per year is expected until 2025, which corresponds to 10% of all jobs.
36. Health and safety continue to influence the way people travel.
37. 2019 the britishtouristseliminated almost 123 million national holidays and only 93 million international holidays

INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE

39. Domestically, London tourism accounts for £6.6bn of the £34.3bn 'Direct Tourism GVA'.
40. Tourism and nightlife contribute £36 billion a year to London's overall economy.employs 700,000 people.
41. It is estimated that it could take at least 2025 for the number of domestic and international visitors to return to 2019 levels, with spending expected to take until 2026 to exceed pre-pandemic levels.
42. Ab 2019,The average amount tourists spend per day is £98.
43. mayo 2022,The number of incoming visits to London is expected to rise to 21.1 millionn and spending of £16.9 billion.
44. Thousands of temporary and permanent workers are being recruited from EU countries to work in London's tourism sector. An increase in red tape, as well as an increase in the cost of hiring foreign workers, is taking its toll on UK tourism businesses.
45. London inbound tourism spending is higher for business travelers than for those visiting friends or family.
46. repeat touristsstay longer on their visits than first-time visitors. They also spend more per night on average.
47. 54% of all spend from inbound visitorswill be charged forLondon. The rest of England makes up 33%, Scotland 10% and Wales 2%.
48. Tourism continues to make a significant contribution to the UK economy, but the pandemic is having a profound impact on the industry.
49. There is real uncertainty about what impact Brexit could have on the sector. The combination of Brexit and the pandemic raise concerns about future holiday price increases and affordability.
50. The next few months will be challenging for UK airports and airlines. Staff shortages in key positions can have a number of knock-on effects, including missed flights, cancellations, and negative sentiment among travelers.
51. The tourist scene in London and the UK as a whole has largely been viewed through the lens of Brexit in recent years.

REFERENCES

https://cheaphotels4uk.com/travel-guide/10-popular-attractions-london-number-visitors
https://www.statista.com/statistik/287133/jahrliche-zahl-der-auslandsbesuche-in-grossbritannien-grossbritannien/
https://files.londonandpartners.com/l-and-p/assets/our-insight-londons-cultural-tourists.pdf
https://www.statista.com/statistics/487772/durchschnittliche-dauer-auslandsbesuche-nach-zweck-london-uk/
https://www.visitbritain.org/2022-tourism-forecast
https://www.condorferries.co.uk/uk-tourism-statistics
https://files.londonandpartners.com/l-and-p/assets/our-insight-londons-cultural-tourists.pdf
https://www.hotelmanagement-network.com/comment/londons-tourism-campaign-boost/
https://www.finder.com/uk/inbound-tourism-statistics
https://cybercrew.uk/blog/tourism-statistics-uk/