Following a 75 percent drop in outbound travel by UK citizens in 2020 and an even worse 2021 when just 19 million Britons ventured outside the UK, international tourism rapidly rebounded in 2022. With 71 million visits abroad, outbound travel from UK citizens was at roughly the same level as 2014 last year, while still falling more than 20 percent short of 2019 levels.
So with Covid-19 no longer a major concern for the majority of Britons and travel enthusiasm reignited, where do UK citizens like to go on their well-deserved holidays? According to the ONS, Brits are mostly seeking out sunnier shores when they travel, which isn’t a huge surprise considering that the UK isn’t exactly famous for its beautiful weather, although its beaches are often underestimated.
In 2022, 15.6 million UK citizens traveled to Spain, making it by far the most popular destination for British travelers, who have been known to enjoy a cold cerveza under the Iberian sun. With 7.4 million visitors from the UK, France is a distant second, followed by Italy, Greece and Portugal, highlighting Britons’ love for the sunny South of Europe.
While the top destinations don’t exactly scream “business travel”, it is important to note that international visits also include non-holiday travel. With 45.6 million trips abroad, holidays do account for the majority of trips abroad, however, with visits to friends the second most important travel purpose. Business trips accounted for just 4.8 million outbound trips last year, down from almost 9 million in 2019.
