Australia and New Zealand deliver record inbound results for Britain
Australia and New Zealand’s appetite for Britain continues to grow with the markets setting new records for spend and visits to the UK in the second quarter of 2023 (April – June), according to the latest official visitor statistics from VisitBritain*. Along with the USA, they were also two of only three markets to see record visits to Britain in the same period.
Visitors from Australia spent a record-breaking £415 million on their trips to the UK in Q2 2023, positioning it as Britain’s third most valuable source market for the quarter, behind the USA and Germany, and exceeding Q2 2019 levels by +24 per cent. Australia also broke quarter records for number of visits, with Britain welcoming 308,000 Australian travellers between April to June 2023, up +14 per cent on Q2 2019.
Continuing its accelerated recovery for inbound travel to the UK in 2022, New Zealand also delivered a record-breaking spend of £93 million in the second quarter of 2023 with 68,000 Kiwis travelling to Britain in the same period, up +29 per cent on Q2 2019 visit levels.
VisitBritain’s Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand, Maria Sykes said:
"Off the back of tremendous growth for both Australia and New Zealand in 2022, we are delighted to see such a positive trend continue to unfold this year. With the global spotlight on Britain in early 2023 for the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and the 67th Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, it’s clear that Britain’s pomp and pageantry and rich musical heritage continue to remain key draw cards for international visitors.
The connective tissue between Australia, New Zealand and the UK runs deep, and these strong ties will continue to foster growth in 2023. Working closely with our dedicated industry partners, we look forward to encouraging even more Aussie and Kiwi travellers to stay longer and explore more of Britain throughout the year”.
In the second half of the year, visitors to Britain can look forward to exciting seasonal offerings, new developments and hallmark events still to come in 2023. From Bonfire Night celebrations in November to the forthcoming festive season, Britain’s cities and towns are preparing the twinkling lights, cosy winter pop-ups and charming Christmas markets. Visitors will also be delighted with several new holiday season attractions this year.
In London, the luxury hotel scene is rapidly expanding, with a boom of new accommodation and more openings on the horizon. Hotel highlights include 1 Hotel Mayfair (opened July 2023), The Peninsula London (opened Sept 2023), Raffles London at The OWO (opened Sept 2023), The BoTree (opened Sept 2023), The Broadwick Soho (opening Nov 2023), St. Regis London (opening late 2023), Mandarin Oriental Mayfair (opening early 2024) and Six Senses London (opening 2024).
Warding off the winter blues, a number of festivals will descend on Britain’s shores this winter. Visitors can look out for the UK’s premier celebration of Celtic music at the annual Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow (18 Jan – 4 Feb 2024) before unwinding in Bath at the city’s new festival of wellbeing, Rebalance Bath (7 – 26 February 2024), or celebrate Britain’s dark skies at one of several Dark Sky festivals happening across the nations from late 2023 to early 2024.
VisitBritain’s latest forecast for 2023 estimates 37.5 million inbound visits to the UK, 92% of 2019 levels. Its revised forecast for overseas visitor spending in the UK this year is £30.9 billion, a projected record high for annual inbound visitor spend.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
• The source of the quarter two statistics is the UK’s International Passenger Survey (IPS).
• Detailed information about VisitBritain’s inbound tourism forecast for 2023 is available here: www.visitbritain.org/2023-tourism-forecast
• For destination inspiration, please visit: www.visitbritain.com
• For destination assets, please visit: assets.visitbritain.org
*About VisitBritain:
As the national tourism agency VisitBritain plays a unique role raising Britain’s profile worldwide, increasing the volume and value of tourism exports and developing England and Britain’s visitor economy. Our focus is to drive immediate tourism recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, by building back visitor spend as quickly as possible and supporting the industry.