Ystadegau twristiaeth ddomestig Prydain Fawr (tripiau dros nos): 2022 i 2023 (diwygiedig)

This is a revised release of the main estimates for the volume and value of domestic overnight tourism trips taken by British residents in Wales and Great Britain for the period January 2022 to December 2023.

Estimates have been revised following a methodological review, completed in summer 2024. The review was undertaken to address considerable volatility in the data for 2022 and 2023. Following the review, several changes have been made to the methodology of this statistical series. For further information on the review and the changes made to the methodology, please see the statement on the methodological review. Most of the estimates in this release have changed from previously released estimates for 2022 and 2023. Where data in a table or chart has been revised, this is noted in the title of the table or chart. 

This report includes estimates for the main purpose of overnight trips; holidays, visits to friends and relatives (VFR) and business trips, with the definitions for each of these provided in the relevant section of this report.

The report includes estimates and details of overnight trips taken in Wales, and in Great Britain for comparative purposes. Detailed results for England and Scotland are being published by VisitEngland and VisitScotland.

These statistics are used to monitor domestic tourism demand and measure the contribution and impact of domestic tourism on the visitor economy. A key purpose of these statistics is to uncover insights into market trends over time.  Changes in survey methodology mean that results published in this release are not directly comparable with data published for 2019 and previous years. Please refer to the section on comparability and coherence. Changes in expenditure should be considered in light of increased costs, as these estimates have not been adjusted for inflation.

The statistics are labelled as ‘official statistics in development’ to enable testing and further modification to meet user needs. Further information on this is available on the Office for National Statistics website. We are keen to check that the new tourism statistics meet user needs and invite you to provide feedback on the information in this output at tourismresearch@gov.wales.

Wales trips

• In 2022, Great Britain (GB) residents took 8.65 million overnight trips in Wales with 25.94 million nights and £1.89 billion spent during these trips.
• In 2023, GB residents took 8.44 million overnight trips in Wales with 24.47 million nights and £2.02 billion spent during these trips.
• 45% of overnight trips taken in Wales during 2022 were holidays. 30% were visits to friends and relatives (VFR), 5% were for business purposes and 20% were for miscellaneous/other purposes.
• In 2023, 40% of overnight trips taken in Wales were holidays, while 33% were VFR trips. 5% were for business purposes, and 23% were for miscellaneous/other purposes.
• In both 2022 and 2023, approximately 7% of all GB trips included an overnight stay in Wales. The share of total GB nights was also 7%, while the share of total GB expenditure was 6%.
• The average duration of Wales trips in 2022 was 3.0 nights with an average spend of £219 per trip. In 2023, trips were slightly shorter on average, with an average trip length of 2.9 nights and a higher average spend of £239 per trip.
• Compared to 2022, the volume of trips taken in Wales in 2023 was 3% lower, whilst expenditure was 7% higher. The decrease in annual trip volume for 2023 is driven by a sharp decrease in trips taken during the fourth quarter of the year.

Great Britain trips

• In 2022, GB residents took 123.49 million overnight trips in GB with 375.16 million nights and £31.98 billion spent during these trips.
• In 2023, GB residents took 117.38 million overnight trips in GB with 340.17 million nights and £31.25 billion spent during these trips.
• 34% of overnight trips taken in GB during 2022 were holidays, 36% were VFR trips, 5% were for business purposes and 25% were for miscellaneous/other purposes.
• In 2023, holidays comprised 32% of overnight trips taken in GB. 37% were VFR trips, 5% were for business purposes, and 26% were for miscellaneous/other purposes.
• The distribution of trips across the GB nations remained stable across 2022 and 2023, with 85% of trips taken in GB in 2022 including an overnight stay in England, 11% including an overnight stay in Scotland and 7% including an overnight stay in Wales.
• The average duration of GB trips in 2022 was 3.0 nights with an average spend of £259 per trip. Trips were slightly shorter on average in 2023, with an average duration of 2.9 nights per trip, and a higher average spend of £266 per trip.
• Compared to 2022, the volume of trips taken in GB in 2023 was 5% lower, whilst expenditure was 2% lower. The decrease in annual trip volume for 2023 is driven by a sharp decrease in trips taken during the fourth quarter of the year.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022

[Note 1] Percentages do not sum to 100% as some trips included visits to more than one nation.

In 2022, there were 123.49 million overnight trips taken in GB by British residents with a total of 375.16 million nights and a total expenditure of £31.98 billion. There were 8.65 million overnight trips taken in Wales with a total of 25.94 million nights and a total expenditure of £1.89 billion.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2023

[Note 1] Percentages do not sum to 100% as some trips included visits to more than one nation.

In December 2023, there were 117.38 million overnight trips taken in GB by British residents with a total of 340.17 million nights and a total expenditure of £31.25 billion. There were 8.44 million overnight trips taken in Wales with a total of 24.47 million nights and a total expenditure of £2.02 billion.

Domestic trip-taking was similarly distributed across the GB nations in 2022 and 2023, with 85% of trips being taken in England, 11% taken in Scotland, and 7% taken in Wales, in both years. Similarly, the share of both total GB nights and total GB spend in Wales has remained stable across 2022 and 2023 (7% of total GB nights and 6% of total GB expenditure).

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022 to 2023

[Note 1] Low base sizes for business trips to Wales – data should be treated with caution.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022 to 2023

[Note 1] Low base sizes for business trips to Wales – data should be treated with caution.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022 to 2023

[Note 1] Low base sizes for business trips to Wales – data should be treated with caution.

Compared to 2022, the volume of overnight trips taken in Wales in 2023 has decreased by 3%. There were also decreases in the volumes of holiday trips and business trips, although the volumes of trips to visit relatives and friends and trips for miscellaneous/other purposes were higher. Additionally, the number of nights spent in Wales in 2023 for all purposes decreased, compared to 2022. This decrease is driven by a lower number of nights spent in Wales on holiday trips. Expenditure on trips taken in Wales during 2023 for trips to visit friends and relatives and trips for miscellaneous/other purposes has increased, compared to 2022. However, expenditure on holiday trips and business trips taken in Wales was lower in 2023.

Figure 1: Proportion of trips, nights and spend in Wales by main purpose of trip (2022, revised)

Image

Description of Figure 1: A stacked bar chart showing that in 2022, holidays were the most common type of trip taken to Wales by GB residents, followed by visits to friends and relatives.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022

In 2022, holiday trips were the most common type of trip taken in Wales (45%), followed by visits to friends and relatives (30%). Trips for miscellaneous and business purposes accounted for 20% and 5% of trips taken, respectively.

Figure 2: Proportion of trips, nights and spend in Wales by main purpose of trip (2023, revised)

Image

Description of Figure 2: A stacked bar chart showing that in 2023, holidays were the most common type of trip taken to Wales by GB residents, followed by visits to friends and relatives.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2023

The profile of different types of trips taken in Wales is broadly similar across 2022 and 2023. Holiday trips remained the most common type of trip taken in Wales in 2023 (40%), followed by visits to friends and relatives (33%). The proportions of trips for other purposes in Wales also remained similar across 2022 and 2023, with trips for miscellaneous/other purposes and trips for business purposes constituting 23% and 5% of trips, respectively. The volume of trips taken for all purposes in Wales in 2023 is 3% lower than in 2022.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022 to 2023

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022 to 2023

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022 to 2023

Similar to Wales, the volume of overnight trips taken in GB in 2023 was lower, compared to 2022. While the volume of miscellaneous/other trips was slightly higher during 2023, the volumes of trips for all other purposes were lower. The number of nights spent in GB during 2023 was lower compared to 2022. Nights spent in GB were lower for all trip purposes. Expenditure on trips taken in GB during 2023 has decreased compared to expenditure during 2022. This was driven by a decrease in expenditure on holiday trips, while business trips and trips for miscellaneous/other purposes saw small increases in expenditure in 2023, compared to 2022. Expenditure on trips to visit friends and relatives remained stable across 2022 and 2023 remained broadly stable.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022

[Note 1] Low base size for business trips to Wales – data should be treated with caution.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022

[Note 1] Low base size for business trips to Wales – data should be treated with caution.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022

[Note 1] Low base size for business trips to Wales – data should be treated with caution.

The average duration of trips taken in Wales in 2022 was 3.0 nights, in line with the average for GB. The average spend per trip and spend per night on trips taken in Wales were generally lower than for GB as a whole, with the exception of average spend per night for business trips, which was slightly higher for Wales than for GB in 2022. In 2022, the average spend per night was highest for business trips, both for trips taken in Wales and trips taken in GB as a whole.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2023

[Note 1] Low base size for business trips to Wales – data should be treated with caution.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2023

[Note 1] Low base size for business trips to Wales – data should be treated with caution.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2023

[Note 1] Low base size for business trips to Wales – data should be treated with caution.

Trips in 2023 had an average duration of 2.9 nights, both for those taken in Wales and for those taken across GB as a whole. The average spend per trip and spend per night for trips taken in Wales were lower than trips taken in GB, similar to 2022. In 2023, holiday trips had the highest average spend per night for trips taken in Wales, whereas for trips taken across GB as a whole, business trips had the highest average spend per night.

The average spend per trip for Wales in 2023 is well above the level in 2022, continuing the overall trend of increasing spend on trips taken. Average spend per trip was higher in 2023 for trips taken in Wales and trips taken in GB as a whole, and across all types of trips. Changes in expenditure should be considered in light of increased costs, as these estimates have not been adjusted for inflation. The average length of trips taken during 2023 has decreased, compared to the same period in 2022, for both trips taken in Wales and trips taken in GB as a whole. This has been driven by a decrease in the average length of holiday trips taken in 2023, by 10% for Wales and by 5% across GB as a whole, compared to 2022.

Figure 3: Volume and proportion of trips taken in Great Britain and Wales by main type of accommodation used, 2022 [Note 1]

Image

Description of Figure 3: A stacked bar chart showing that in 2022, serviced accommodation was the most commonly used type of accommodation for GB residents taking trips in GB and in Wales.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022

[Note 1] The numbers within the coloured segments are the number of trips taken in Wales and in Great Britain in millions, where a certain type of accommodation was used as the main type of accommodation. For instance, in 2022, serviced accommodation was the main type of accommodation used on 3.37 million trips to Wales.

In 2022, the most commonly used main type of accommodation on trips in Wales was serviced accommodation, at just under 4 in 10 trips. Around 2 in 10 trips to Wales used either a private home (including the home of friends/relatives or a second home) or a caravan/camping/glamping. Approximately 12% of trips to Wales used a self-catering property rental in 2022.

Figure 4: Volume and proportion of trips taken in Great Britain and Wales by main type of accommodation used, 2023 [Note 1]

Image

Description of Figure 4: A stacked bar chart showing that in 2023, serviced accommodation was the most commonly used type of accommodation for GB residents taking trips in GB and in Wales.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2023

[Note 1] The numbers within the coloured segments are the number of trips taken in Wales and in Great Britain in millions, where a certain type of accommodation was used as the main type of accommodation. For instance, in 2023, serviced accommodation was the main type of accommodation used on 3.11 million trips to Wales.

In 2023, the most commonly used main type of accommodation on trips in Wales was serviced accommodation, at 37% of trips. Just over a quarter of trips taken to Wales used a private home, and just under 2 in 10 used a caravan/camping/glamping. Approximately 15% of trips to Wales used a self-catering property rental.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022

[Note 1] Low base size for Scotland, data should be treated with caution.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2023

[Note 1] Low base size for Scotland, data should be treated with caution.

The profile of trips taken to Wales by nation of residence is very similar across 2022 and 2023. GB residents living outside of Wales generated approximately 7 in 10 of all overnight trips taken in Wales, with residents of England generating the most trips and expenditure. Residents of Wales generated around 3 in 10 trips taken in Wales across 2022 and 2023.

Figure 5: Volume of trips to Wales in millions by quarter of visit (2022 to 2023, revised)

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Description of Figure 5: A clustered column chart showing the volume of trips taken in Wales for each quarter, with trip levels in 2023 higher than 2022 for the first and third quarters, but lower during the second and fourth quarters.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022 to 2023

There was a decrease of 3% in the volume of trips to Wales in 2023, with 8.44 million trips taken, compared to 8.65 million during 2022.  This was driven by a sharp decrease in the volume of trips taken from October to December 2023, compared to the same period in 2022. In the fourth quarter of 2023, 1.62 million trips were taken in Wales, compared to 2.11 million trips during the same period in 2022, a decrease of 23%.

Figure 6: Total expenditure on trips taken in Wales in millions of pounds by quarter of visit (2022 to 2023, revised)

Image

Description of Figure 6: A clustered column chart showing the expenditure on trips taken in Wales for each quarter, with spend higher for the first three quarters of 2023, compared to the same period in 2022, then lower during the final quarter.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022 to 2023

Expenditure on trips taken in Wales in 2023 was 7% higher, with £2.02 billion spent, compared to £1.89 billion in 2022. There was a decrease of 23% in spend on overnight trips taken in Wales between October to December 2023, with £455 million spent, compared to £592 million during the same period in 2022. Please note that these estimates have not been adjusted for inflation.

Figure 7: Volume of overnight trips taken in Great Britain in millions by quarter of visit (2022 to 2023, revised)

Image

Description of Figure 7: A clustered column chart showing the volume of trips taken in GB for each quarter, with trip levels in 2023 slightly higher than 2022 during the first six months of the year, but lower during the latter half of the year. 

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022 to 2023

In 2023, the volume of trips taken in GB was 5% lower compared to 2022, with 117.38 million trips taken during 2023, compared to 123.49 million in 2022. This was largely driven by a sharp decrease in the volume of trips taken in GB from October to December 2023, compared to the same period in 2022. In the fourth quarter of 2023, 28.38 million trips were taken in GB, compared to 33.88 million trips during the same period in 2022, a decrease of 16%.

Figure 8: Total expenditure on trips taken in Great Britain in millions of pounds by quarter of visit (2022 to 2023, revised)

Image

Description of Figure 8: A clustered column chart showing the expenditure on trips taken in GB for each quarter, with spend higher for the first six months of 2023, but lower in the last six months of 2023, compared to 2022.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022 to 2023

In 2023, expenditure for trips taken in GB was 2% lower compared to 2022, with £31.25 billion spent during 2023, compared to £31.98 billion in 2022. This was largely driven by a sharp decrease in expenditure during the period October to December 2023, compared to the same period in 2022. In the fourth quarter of 2023, £7.30 billion was spent on trips taken across GB, compared to £8.96 billion in 2022, a decrease of 19%. Changes in expenditure should be considered in light of increased costs, as these estimates have not been adjusted for inflation.

Definitions

To qualify as an eligible GB Domestic Overnight Trip the following criteria must be met:

• The trip involved a stay of at least one night in one or more of the GB nations; England, Scotland or Wales.
• The trip is not taken on a frequent basis (less often than once a week).
• For GB Domestic Overnight Holiday Trips; the main purpose of the trip was for holiday, pleasure or leisure.
• For GB Domestic Overnight VFR Trips (VFR); the main purpose of the trip was for visiting friends and relatives, including VFR trips that were combined with a holiday.
• For GB Domestic Overnight Business Trips; the main purpose of the trip was for business.
• For GB Domestic Overnight Miscellaneous/Other Trips; the main purpose of the trip was for another type of trip taken not covered by the above classifications including personal events, public events, or for study, medical, religious purposes, or any overnight stay in GB as part of an overseas trip.

Other definitions used in this publication

Volume

An estimate of what the grossed-up number of overnight trips undertaken by the population would be if the survey sample is representative of the whole GB population. The reported volume of trips is an estimate of trips by individuals, so that a travel party of two people would count as two individual trips.

Value

An estimate of what the total expenditure relating to the volume of overnight visits undertaken by the population would be if the survey sample is representative of the whole GB population.

Bednights

An estimate of what the grossed-up number of nights spent on overnight trips undertaken by the population would be if the survey sample is representative of the whole GB population.

These definitions and the associated qualifying criteria have been revised as part of the new combined GBTS/GBDVS survey to align with agreed international standards. These changes impact the comparability of the published domestic overnight tourism estimates for 2021, 2022 and 2023 with 2019 and previous years.

Methodology

Since 2021, data on both domestic overnight trips and domestic day trips has been collected through an online survey. The sample for this online survey is a non-probability-based design sourced from 4 ESOMAR accredited online panel providers and includes quotas for key demographic variables to make the overall sample as representative as possible of GB population. The target annual sample size for the survey of overnight visitors is 60,000 completed interviews. Not every person who is interviewed will have taken an eligible overnight trip and so the base sizes used for trip estimation are lower than the number of interviews.

A weighting scheme is used to make the results as representative as possible of the GB population. However, the use of a non-probability online sample limits the extent to which the survey responses are truly representative of the full GB population, a limitation of similar online sample surveys. The new weighting scheme uses the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC) mapped to approximate social grade for population statistics, for the purpose of quotas and weighting to the GB population. The change to using NS-SEC as the population statistics source will impact the estimation and reporting of trips compared to the previous reporting of social grade used for GBTS in 2019 and previous years.

In 2024, a review of the methodology was undertaken to address volatility in the data. As a result of the review, a range of changes were applied to the methodology, and estimates for 2022 and 2023 were revised. For further details on the changes made to the methodology in 2024, please see the statement on the methodological review. For a comprehensive guide to the survey methodology in 2022 and 2023, please see the GBTS Background Quality Report 2022 and the GBTS Background Quality Report 2023, respectively.

Comparability and coherence

Statistics for domestic overnight tourism have been collected in a broadly similar way since 1989. However, the changes in survey methodology introduced in 2021 means that results published from April 2021 onwards are not directly comparable with data published for 2019 and previous years. Results from April 2021 onwards are available, and are comparable with the results in this report.

Accuracy

The statistics produced from the Great Britain Tourism Survey in 2019 and previous years have been designated as official statistics, which provides reassurance to users that the statistics are produced to the very highest professional standards of trustworthiness, quality and value, set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics (ONS). Due to the changes in methodology and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the survey results for 2021 have been labelled as ‘official statistics in development’ (ONS). The new survey and statistics have undergone a comprehensive programme of quality assurance including piloting of the survey, analysis of changes to the trip definitions, testing the impact of the new weighting scheme and a review of caps and imputation rules. Changes to the survey methodology and estimation have taken account of a review and advice provided by the Methodology Advisory Service of the Office for National Statistics. A further review of the methodology was undertaken in 2024 to address volatility in the data and estimates for 2022 and 2023 were revised following the review. For further information on the review undertaken in 2024, please see the statement on the methodological review.

Relevance

These statistics are used both within and outside the Welsh Government to monitor domestic tourism demand and measure the contribution and impact of domestic tourism on the visitor economy. A key purpose of these statistics is to uncover insights into market trends over time.

As far as possible, the new combined GBTS and GBDVS survey provides consistency with previous information collected, but new questions capture enhanced information on activities undertaken, booking methods and responder profiles including protected characteristics. It is envisaged that this additional information will be of value for the various users of the survey. The questionnaires for 2022 and 2023 are included in the GBTS Background Quality Report 2022 and the GBTS Background Quality Report 2023, respectively.

The survey sponsors are planning to engage with the priority users of the statistics to check the new survey information meets their needs and we encourage users of the statistics to provide feedback on the data and this output at tourismresearch@gov.wales.

Timeliness and punctuality

All outputs adhere to the Code of Practice by pre-announcing the date of publication through the upcoming calendar. Furthermore, should the need arise to postpone an output this would follow the statement on revisions, errors and postponements. We aim to publish data as soon as possible after the relevant research time period. It is anticipated that future results for Wales will be published on a quarterly basis, to ensure estimates are supported by robust trip base sizes. Specific publication timings will be notified on the WG website, but the aim is to publish quarterly statistics for Wales approximately 9 to 10 weeks after the end of each quarter based on the 4 week survey trip taking reference period and to allow for quality assurance and reporting timescales.

GBTS Background Quality Report 2022

GBTS Background Quality Report 2023

Statement on methodological review

Estimates for domestic overnight tourism in England are available from VisitEngland

Estimates for domestic overnight tourism in Scotland are available from VisitScotland

Ystadegydd: Siân Hughes
E-bost: ymchwiltwristiaeth@llyw.cymru

Cyfryngau: 0300 025 8099

SFR 26/2024 (R)