In 2023, the number of overseas resident visits to the United Kingdom totaled 38 million, representing a growth of over 20 percent from the previous year. The figure was projected to reach 38.7 million in 2024. Has the UK’s tourism industry completely recovered from the coronavirus pandemic? Like in most countries, the travel restrictions put in place to stem the spread of the coronavirus wreaked havoc on the UK’s tourism industry. Overseas visitor numbers dropped to 7.1 million in 2021, representing a drop of over 80 percent from 2019. While the figure reported for 2023 showed a continued recovery in terms of overseas visitors to the UK, it remained below pre-pandemic levels. However, in terms of spending among the UK’s leading inbound travel markets, most overseas visitors spent more in 2023 than in 2019, with visitors from the UK’s leading inbound travel market, the United States, spending around 50 percent more during their travels than in 2019. What are the most visited cities in the UK? Unsurprisingly, London consistently ranked as the most visited town or city in the UK among international tourists in recent years, drawing in 20.27 million visitors in 2023. This was around tenfold the number of the second-most visited city, Edinburgh, which received 2.32 million visitors during the same year. As the UK’s capital city, London’s tourist attractions are as varied as the city itself; however, one particularly strong draw for inbound visitors is Royal Family-related tourism. This is evident with the top two most visited paid tourist attractions in England being based in London and either belonging to the Royal Family or being run by a Royal-affiliated charity. Meanwhile, among UK residents, London ranks as the second most popular destination for a summer staycation, with the South West ranking first.

In 2023, the United States was the leading inbound travel market for the United Kingdom based on the number of visits. That year, the UK reported approximately 5.12 million inbound trips from the U.S., surpassing the figures recorded in 2019 and 2022. In total, the number of inbound visits in the UK reach nearly 40 million in 2023.

The number of overseas tourist visits to London, United Kingdom continued to grow in 2023, following a sharp drop in 2021, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Despite the significant annual increase, inbound arrivals in the UK's capital remained below pre-pandemic levels, reaching ***** million in 2023. That year, inbound tourist visits to the UK totaled nearly ** million. London leading the way in Europe London’s contribution to inbound tourism in the United Kingdom is significant, with the UK’s capital accounting for over ** percent of international tourist arrivals in the country in 2023. This was more than other leading European destinations, such as Amsterdam, Paris, and Berlin. Those visiting the UK capital also made a significant contribution to the local economy, with expenditure of international visitors in London peaking in 2023, with inbound tourists spending over ** billion British pounds that year. However, this was not reflected in business travel spending in the city, which was nearly half a billion British pounds in 2023 than in 2019. London’s visitor attractions As the largest city in the UK, London is home to some of the country's most iconic visitor attractions. These range from government-sponsored museums, such as the British Museum, to the Tower of London and the ZSL London Zoo. In 2023, the ************** was the most visited tourist attraction in London. Overall, most sites have struggled to match the visitation rates recorded before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, however. For instance, attendance at the British Museum – the most visited free attraction in London in 2023 – declined by around ***** percent from 2019.

Based on figures going back to 2005, consumer spending on accommodation in the United Kingdom reached a record high of 36.39 billion British pounds in 2023. As a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, spending dropped in 2020 and 2021, halting the continuous growth that had begun in 2010.

In 2024, Germany was the leading inbound travel market in Greece based on the number of arrivals. That year, the number of arrivals by German travelers totaled 5.4 million. The United Kingdom and Italy followed in the ranking in 2024, with around 4.5 million and two million arrivals, respectively. How many inbound tourists visit Greece? The number of inbound travelers in Greece grew by roughly 13 percent in 2024 over the previous year, peaking at over 40 million. As the number of international travelers reached the highest figure recorded by the country to date, the value of international travel receipts in Greece followed the same trend, exceeding 21 billion euros in 2024. The importance of travel and tourism for the Greek's economy In 2023, travel and tourism represented almost 20 percent of Greece's gross domestic product (GDP). That was the third-highest share of travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP among EU countries. When considering the total contribution of travel and tourism to employment in Greece, those markets supported, directly and indirectly, around 860,000 jobs that year.

The number of enterprises in the accommodation industry in the United Kingdom varied by sector from 2018 to 2022. In 2022, there were approximately 6.5 thousand holiday and other short stay accommodation businesses operating in the UK.

Hotels and similar accommodation generated the highest turnover of accommodation businesses in the United Kingdom in 2022. This sector generated almost 23 billion British pounds, followed by camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks and trailer parks with over 4.5 billion pounds.

The market size of the global tourism sector grew significantly in 2023 over the previous year, totaling around *** trillion U.S. dollars. Despite the sharp annual increase, global tourism revenue remained below pre-pandemic levels. As forecast, the market size of the tourism sector worldwide was estimated at *** trillion U.S. dollars in 2024. What is the economic impact of travel and tourism? In 2023, the total contribution of travel and tourism to global GDP, including the direct, indirect, and induced impact of these markets, was estimated at nearly ** trillion U.S. dollars, almost recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, the number of travel and tourism jobs worldwide was just around *** percent below pre-pandemic levels in 2023, with these industries generating, directly and indirectly, *** million jobs. What are the most popular travel destinations worldwide? Both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, France topped the ranking of the most visited countries by inbound tourists worldwide. In 2023, the number of inbound tourist arrivals in France peaked at *** million, the highest figure reported to date. That year, Spain, the United States, and Italy followed on the list. Meanwhile, the United States was the country with the highest international tourism receipts worldwide in 2023, ahead of Spain and the United Kingdom.

The number of tourist arrivals to Paris and the Île-de-France region grew by roughly *** percent in 2024 over the previous year. Despite the annual increase, the combined number of domestic and inbound tourist arrivals in Paris and Île-de-France remained slightly below pre-pandemic levels, reaching almost ** million in 2024. What are the leading inbound travel markets in Paris? When looking at the number of international tourist arrivals in the French capital and its surrounding region, the United States accounted for the highest figure, with nearly ***** million arrivals by U.S. travelers in 2023. That year, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany also ranked high among the leading inbound tourism markets in Paris and Île-de-France. How many hotels are there in Paris? In 2024, there were over ***** hotels in Paris, with most establishments being rated as three-star. That said, while the number of three-star hotels has fluctuated since 2019, the number of four-star hotels has increased gradually, peaking at over *** in 2024. That year, four-star establishments recorded the highest number of hotel rooms in Paris.

The number of tourist arrivals to Paris and the Île-de-France region grew by roughly eight percent in 2023 over the previous year. Despite the annual increase, domestic and inbound tourist arrivals in Paris and Île-de-France remained slightly below the figures reported before the COVID-19 pandemic, totaling 25.8 million and 21.8 million in 2023, respectively. What are the leading inbound travel markets in Paris? When looking at the share of international tourist arrivals in the French capital and its surrounding region, the United States accounted for the highest figure, representing roughly 12 percent of travelers in 2022. That year, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy also ranked among the leading inbound tourism markets in Paris and Île-de-France. The hotel market in Paris In 2023, there were over 1,600 hotels in Paris, with most establishments rated as three-star. That said, while the number of three-star hotels has fluctuated since 2019, the number of four-star hotels has increased gradually, peaking at 490 in 2023. That year, four-star establishments recorded the highest number of hotel rooms in Paris.

The number of tourists attending live music events across the United Kingdom increased by 33 percent in 2023 compared to 2022. That year, the number of music tourists in the country, including domestic and inbound visitors, peaked at approximately 19.2 million. Meanwhile, total spending generated by music tourism in the UK grew by roughly 40 percent from 2019 to 2022.

In 2024, the total contribution of travel and tourism to the global gross domestic product (GDP) amounted to **** trillion U.S. dollars. This figure, which includes the direct, indirect, and induced impact of the global travel and tourism market, represented an increase in total contribution to GDP of *** percent over 2019. As forecast, the total contribution of the travel and tourism sector to the global GDP was expected to reach **** trillion U.S. dollars in 2025. Which countries record the highest travel and tourism contribution to GDP? GDP is the total value of all goods and services produced in a country in a year. It is considered an important indicator of a country's economic strength, and a positive change in GDP is a sign of economic growth. Both before and after the impact of COVID-19, the United States and China were by far the leading travel markets based on the total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP, followed by Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. What are the most visited countries in the world? In 2023, France was the country with the highest number of international tourist arrivals worldwide, welcoming 100 million international visitors. While the United States reported the third-highest number of inbound tourist arrivals that year, it was the destination with the highest international tourism receipts worldwide, ranking ahead of Spain and the United Kingdom.

In 2023, London was the leading European city tourism destination based on the number of bed nights. That year, bed nights in the United Kingdom's capital exceeded ** million, denoting a sharp annual increase but not fully recovering yet from the impact of COVID-19. Meanwhile, Paris and Istanbul followed in the ranking in 2023, with roughly ** million and nearly ** million bed nights. What are the most visited countries in Europe? While the French capital came in second among leading European cities based on bed nights, France topped the ranking of the European countries with the highest number of inbound tourist arrivals in 2023, ahead of Spain, Italy, and Turkey. Meanwhile, when looking at European countries with the highest tourism receipts that year, Spain recorded the highest figure, with over ** billion U.S. dollars, followed by the United Kingdom. How many international tourists visit Europe every year? In 2023, the number of international tourist arrivals in Europe grew significantly over the previous year, totaling over *** million. This figure, however, remained below pre-pandemic levels. Overall, either before and after the impact of COVID-19, Europe was the region with the highest number of international tourist arrivals worldwide.

As of 2023, roughly 265,000 visitors from the United States arrived in Kenya, the largest number among all other countries. Over 201,000 visitors came from Uganda, while close to 158,000 were from Tanzania, both neighboring nations. Overall, Kenya recorded over 1.9 million international visitor arrivals that year. This shows a steady post-pandemic recovery since 2020, with the number almost reaching pre-pandemic levels recorded in 2019. Changes in airport movements Due to COVID-19 restrictions, passenger flight landings in Kenya decreased severely in the second quarter of 2020. In May 2020, the traffic in the country’s main airports reduced to less than 200 flights, only a few coming from abroad. Thus, 2020 turned out to record one of the lowest performances in the annual number of flight landings in Kenya. However, by the end of that year, signs of recovery were already spotted. The rebounding trend followed through 2021: Passenger flight landings increased by 40 percent compared to 2020, although the number remained 37.5 percent lower than the pre-coronavirus level. Touristic destination for international visitors Being the home of Mount Kenya, the second-highest mountain in Africa, Kenya attracts many tourists with its rich nature and wildlife. In 2021, nearly 300,000 international visitors chose the country as a holiday destination. This corresponded to roughly 35 percent of the total inbound visits. In 2019, previous to the COVID-19 pandemic, direct earnings from international tourism generated around 2.6 billion U.S. dollars. Inbound visitors spent mostly on accommodation, air passenger transport, and food and beverage services.