International Passenger Survey | August 2023

IPS 2023
IPS 2023

August-2023-IPS-Monthly-Summary-Published-23rd-November-2023.pdf

Summary report from VisitBritain on International Passenger Survey covering August 2023.

Key highlights include:

Visits dipped slightly m-o-m in August 2023 (3.7m vs 3.9m in July 2023)

  • Inbound visits to the UK in August totalled at 3.7m visits, down 17% vs August 2019 (the comparison period was the highest month on record for visits). Compared to August 2022, visits were up 4% showing a slowdown in the recovery rate vs 2019.
  • Visits across the last 3 months and year-to-date reached similar recovery levels to 2019; Jun-Aug saw visits reach 11.0m, down 10% vs 2019 (and up 11% vs 2022) and visits across 2023 so far totalled at 25.1m visits, down 8% vs 2019 (and up 34% vs 2022).

Spend in August 2023 was the third highest August on record, in nominal terms.

  • Spend reached £3.4bn in August 2023 down 3% vs August 2019, and up 7% vs 2022. In real terms, August 2023 saw visitor spending down 20% vs August 2019.
  • It was a record last 3 months (Jun-Aug) with visitors spending £9.7bn and record year-to-date (Jan-Aug) with visitors spending £20.3bn.
  • Inbound visitors spent £921 per visit, on average, in August 2023, up 16% vs 2019. In real terms, spend per visit was down 4% vs 2019.