Australian travellers’ love affair with the UK is only growing stronger, with Aussies setting spending records and staying far longer than they were pre-pandemic, VisitBritain data shows.
According to official visitor statistics from the UK’s national tourist organisation, Australian travellers spent £1.12 billion (approximately AU$2.25 billion) whilst in Britain in 2022.
But it was the amount spent per visit that was most impressive, with Aussies splashing out an average £1,547 (around $2,870) each last year, which was more than 40 per cent higher than the £1,104 ($2,050) spent per trip in 2019.
Significantly, the figure was also almost double the global average of £848 ($1,570) for 2022, moving Australia up from fifth place in 2019 to becoming the fourth most valuable source market last year.
Furthermore, Australian travellers are staying longer in the UK, with the average stay of 17 nights in 2022 more than 30 per cent up on the average stay of 13 nights in 2019 and over twice the average global visitor length of stay.
Seeing more
Encouragingly for British tourism authorities, who want to see a greater dispersal of tourism pounds across the Isles, Aussies took to destinations beyond London en masse in 2022, with trips spanning South East England all the way up through Wales to Scotland.
VB data showed that more than half of visits in 2022 also took place outside of the UK’s July to September peak summer period.
VisitBritain hopes to leverage Australians’ desire for UK holidays through its global ‘See Things Differently’ campaign in 2023/24.
“Our priority has been to rebuild international visitor value so it’s very encouraging to see the pace of Australia’s recovery in spend contributing to Britain’s global recovery, supporting jobs, small businesses and local economies,” VisitBritain Executive Vice President, the Americas, Australia and New Zealand Paul Gauger said.
“As Britain’s fourth most valuable inbound market, we expect demand to continue throughout 2023, with Aussies staying longer and exploring more of Britain.
“Together with our dedicated travel trade partners, we will continue to build demand, convert inspiration into bookings and invite travellers to ‘Come See Things Differently’ in Britain in 2023.”
Record global spend
Overall, VisitBritain predicts around 35.1 million visits to the UK in 2023, which represents 86 per cent of 2019 visitor levels and an increase of 18 per cent on 2022 numbers. It also forecasts visitor spending to hit £29.5 billion (AU$55 billion), which would be a record for annual inbound visitor spend.
Among the highlights of 2023 so far for the UK was the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and Queen Camilla and Liverpool’s hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Visitor statistics were based on the UK’s International Passenger Survey (IPS), which provides information on the numbers and types of visits to Britain through all major air, sea and tunnel ports.
