Tourism direct GVA (2024) | Tourism direct employment (2024) | Travel exports (2024) |
|---|---|---|
2.6% of total GVA (up 0.2 percentage points since 2023) | 3.5% of total employment (up 0.2 percentage points since 2023) | 13% of total service exports (up 0.5 percentage points since 2023) |
OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2026
National tourism strategy: Visitor Economy Growth Strategy (under development)
National tourism administration: Department for Culture, Media and Sport
National tourism budget: GBP 52.7 million (2024-25)
Key tourism policy priorities and actions:
Supporting the recovery and growth of inbound tourism – Ensuring a sustainable recovery of visitor number and spend while maximising regional distribution through the forthcoming Visitor Economy Growth Strategy.
Enabling transport connectivity – Working in partnership with the border industry and users of the border to design, deliver and innovate around the border in line with the 2025 UK Border Strategy.
Developing the tourism workforce – Aligning vocational training, apprenticeships and sector-led workforce standards to address shortages through the Hospitality Sector-based Work Academy Programme.
Tourism is a driver of economic growth for the United Kingdom. The number of businesses in tourism-related industries fell by 195 to 253 383 in March 2023, compared to March 2022. In 2024, the sector contributed GBP 64.3 billion in nominal terms to the United Kingdom economy, accounting for 2.6% of GVA. Travel exports accounted for 13.0% of total service exports in 2024.
The United Kingdom recorded 39.0 million international arrivals in 2024, an increase of 2.8% compared to 2023. International tourist spending was estimated at GBP 36.2 billion. The top three source markets for overnight visitors in 2024 were the United States (14.6%), France (9.4%) and Germany (8.7%). With regards to domestic tourism, the United Kingdom recorded 105.6 million domestic overnight tourists, 10.1% below 2023 levels.
VisitBritain projects continued growth in visits and nominal spend in 2026, though wider economic conditions, exchange rates and global competition may temper momentum. Their current forecast is 45.6 million inbound visits in 2026, with these visitors spending GBP 35.7 billion.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is responsible for tourism policy development in the United Kingdom. The Visitor Economy Advisory Council is a joint industry and government-led board composed of employers, small businesses and representative organisations from across the visitor economy. The Council acts as a sounding board and point of dialogue between ministers and industry. It brings together voices from across the sector and UK Government to drive growth, by identifying and acting on opportunities and removing or reducing barriers, to help deliver a joint long-term national plan for tourism in 2026.
DMOs have been renamed as Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs), as part of the recommendations the government is taking forward from an independent review of DMOs released in 2021. These LVEPs are providing local governance leadership in tourism destinations across the United Kingdom – collaboratively working with local, regional and national stakeholders on shared priorities and targets.
The budget allocated to tourism through the British Tourist Authority in 2024-25 was GBP 52.7 million.
Source: OECD, adapted from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2026.
The United Kingdom is currently developing a Visitor Economy Growth Strategy, due to be published in 2026. The Strategy is being developed through a co-creation process with the newly established Visitor Economy Advisory Council and aims to attract 50 million international visitors per year by 2030 while sharing the benefits of tourism across every nation and region. This will be complemented by improving tourism management in destinations through the LVEP Programme (see box below). Tourism development is also supported through the whole of government “Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener” which sets out policies for decarbonising all sectors of the economy to meet the United Kingdom’s net zero target by 2050 and the National AI Strategy.
Increasing international visitor numbers requires better international connectivity, enabled by better border efficiency. The 2025 UK Border Strategy sets out our vision for the UK border to be the most effective in the world. This is to be delivered through a number of programmes including the development of a Single Trade Window, to create a single gateway for all data from traders into government, and implementation of an Electronic Travel Authorisation to speed passenger journeys through ports. The UK is making steady progress in improvements to deliver a more streamlined, digital immigration system which will be quicker and more secure for the millions of people who pass through the UK border each year; and a major review of the agencies and checks that occur at the border, to rationalise these wherever possible.
The United Kingdom has created a portfolio of nationally supported and strategic Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) which aim to transform the destination management landscape, supporting and growing local visitor economies. These Partnerships deliver tourism destination management aligned with regional growth priorities. The five key goals of the LVEP Programme include:
Strategy - Develop a strong national strategic relationship between LVEPs, VisitEngland, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and wider government.
Stability - Ensure stability and resilience through increased income generation, diversifying funding streams, and implementing robust destination management and diverse governance.
Growth - Align local visitor economy growth priorities and activities with those at national level, setting clear targets and driving high performance. A strong emphasis on sustainability and accessibility, growing business support and working on approaches to data will be maintained.
Place-shaping - Provide a significant role in place shaping and economic development, generating better outcomes for visitors, the environment, communities and businesses, through building influential relationships with local government and businesses.
Training - Develop skills and expertise in LVEP teams through access to training opportunities, and in the wider sector and SMEs through a more targeted business support offer.
The Programme has facilitated close and positive relationships between LVEPs and their Combined Authorities, and highlighted the importance of the visitor economy for Local Growth Plans. In many regions, Mayors play an integral role in supporting their LVEP.
Tourism workforce and skills development is a core priority for the United Kingdom. Work is being undertaken across government departments to influence education reform, promote tourism sector apprenticeships, including new, more flexible routes, and support employment pathways into the visitor economy, particularly for those with fewer qualifications. The Hospitality Sector-based Work Academy Programme combines a unique course of learning, launched in collaboration with UKHospitality. The programme is designed to provide tailored training for jobseekers from tourism sector experts, allowing them to move into a career in hospitality, while boosting workforce participation in the sector and helping to grow the economy. Benefit claimants can complete qualifications and accredited training in areas such as health and safety, food safety, licensing, and conflict resolution to add to their Hospitality Skills Passport – a digital pass which can be added to CVs to show employers that jobseekers have the skillset required by the sector. They can also receive training in confidence and assertiveness to build personal skills and strength. The programme culminates with a guaranteed job interview for all participants, providing jobseekers a valuable progression opportunity to apply their new skills and a pathway to apprenticeships.
Opportunities to create more granular data are being explored to improve evidence-based decision making at the local and business level. VisitEngland is working closely with LVEPs on a joint data and research programme, providing deeper insights at the local authority and LVEP level. This initiative has led to data sources being available at a more granular level, including the Great British Tourism Survey, International Passenger Survey, short-term rental data, and bank card spending data, which has reduced the need for LVEPs to commission independent research. It has also led to the development of a standardised approach to visitor research which will facilitate benchmarking and a more cohesive national picture. The research reports are available through a Power BI system, allowing LVEPs to build bespoke dashboards and combine data sources to uncover new insights.