Australian travellers are now one of the UK’s MVPs (most valuable passengers), contributing a whopping £1.6 billion (around AUD$3 billion) to the visitor economy with a record number of 1.17 million Aussies visiting Britain in 2023.
The latest VisitBritain data reveals Aussie visitation was up 10 per cent on 2019 levels to deliver a full recovery and exceed pre-pandemic numbers last year.
In 2023, Australia’s value to the UK visitor economy was also the highest on record – up 36 per cent on 2019 – and cemented its position as the fourth most valuable source market, behind only the US, Germany and France, and up from fifth place in 2019.
Aussie visitors also spend more and stay longer in the UK than the average global visitor with the average length of stay inbound Australian travellers in 2023 at 14 nights per visit, almost double the global average of 7.7 nights.
Visiting friends and relatives (VFR) continues to lead the volume of visits from the Australian market.
In 2023, VFR represented 47 per cent of trips with holidays and leisure travel closely behind at 42 per cent. However, leisure travel represented a higher spend – at 47 per cent versus 40 per cent for VFR.
While overall spend from Aussie visitors is up 43 per cent on 2022, the spend per visit decreased slightly to £1,367 (around AUD$2,627) per visit in 2023 from £1,547 (AUD$2,973) in 2022. This figure is still well above the global average of £819 (approximately AUD$1,574) per visit.
VisitBritain capitalises on Aussie interest
VisitBritain Country Manager for Australia & New Zealand, Maria Sykes said the organisation would continue to engage local travel trade and consumers with its new global film and TV campaign in 2024.
“We’re thrilled to see these unprecedented results from Australia for both spend and visits,” she said.
“Australia’s love affair with Britain shows no signs of waning and we look forward to continuing to work closely with our dedicated travel trade partners, seeking to convert strong demand for Britain into bookings and inspiring more Aussie visitors to stay longer and explore more of Britain.”
Overall, the UK welcomed 38 million inbound visits in 2023 with international travellers spending a record £31.1 billion (almost AUD$60 billion). Scotland led the UK’s recovery in 2023 with Australians its second-largest market for visitor spend.
VisitBritain’s latest forecast for 2024 projects the UK will receive 38.7 million inbound visits and £32.5 billion (AUD$62.5 billion) in visitor spend.
For more info, head to visitbritain.com
