Domestic GB tourism statistics (overnight trips in Wales): 2022

This is the first release of the main estimates for the volume and value of domestic overnight tourism trips taken by British residents in Wales and Great Britain in 2022. The statistics published in this release cover the period from the start of January to the end of December 2022.

The estimates in this release are based on a recalibration of survey data for January to April 2022. This is due to a change in the GBTS survey questions implemented in May 2022, which led to a substantial and unexpected reduction in trip volumes reported from May to December 2022. The recalibration of reported trip volumes has been undertaken to make all survey estimates covering the period April 2021 to April 2022 comparable with estimates reported from May 2022 onwards.  Further information on the recalibration method is provided in the revised GBTS Background Quality Report 2022.

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 introduced in 2021, together with the interruption in data collection due to COVID-19, 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.

The statistics are labelled as ‘experimental’ 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 8.71 million overnight trips in Wales with 26.10 million nights and £1,919 million spent during these trips.
• 44% of overnight trips taken in Wales were holidays, 31% were visits to friends and relatives and 6% were for business purposes.
• Approximately 7% of all GB trips included an overnight stay in Wales, whilst the share of total GB nights was also 7% and the share of spend lower at 6%.
• Trips, nights and expenditure all reached their peak in the period July to September which accounted for 32% of trips and 33% of expenditure in 2022.
• The average duration of Wales trips during the reporting period was 3.0 nights with an average spend of £220 per trip.
• Compared to 2021, the volume of trips taken in Wales in 2022 was higher for the quarters April to June and October to December but lower for the quarter July to September. Expenditure was higher for all quarters of 2022.

Great Britain trips

• In 2022, Great Britain residents took 125.72 million overnight trips in Great Britain with 383.3 million nights and £32.88 billion spent during these trips.
• 34% of overnight trips taken in GB during this period were holidays, 36% were visits to friends and relatives (VFR) and 6% were for business purposes.
• 85% of trips taken in GB included an overnight stay in England, 11% included an overnight stay in Scotland and 7% included an overnight stay in Wales, the same share of trips reported for 2021.
• Trips, nights and expenditure all reached their peak in the period July to September which accounted for 30% of trips and 31% of expenditure in 2022.
• The average duration of GB trips during the reporting period was 3.0 nights with an average spend of £262 per trip.

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 the period from the start of January to the end of December 2022, there were 125.7 million overnight trips taken in GB by British residents with a total of 383.3 million nights and a total expenditure of £32.88 billion. During the same period there were 8.71 million overnight trips taken in Wales with a total of 26.10 million nights and a total expenditure of £1.919 billion. Approximately 7% of all domestic overnight trips by British residents were taken in Wales, compared to 85% taken in England and 11% taken in Scotland, the same shares of trips that were reported in 2021. The share of total GB nights taken in Wales was 7% and the share of spend was 6%, both the same as reported in 2021.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022

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

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

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Description of Figure 1: A stacked bar chart showing that holidays accounted for the majority of trips, nights and spending from GB residents who took trips to Wales.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022

Holiday trips made up the largest proportion of overnight trips taken in Wales between January to December 2022. This was followed by trips to visit friends and relatives (VFR). Business trips made up the lowest proportion of overnight trips to Wales and for GB as a whole. Trips for ‘miscellaneous’ purposes include a wide range of trips (see section on definitions), but the largest volume of miscellaneous trips taken in Wales were those being taken overseas that included an overnight stay in Wales, trips for a personal event and trips for a public event. A lower proportion of trips taken in Wales between January and December 2022 were for holidays (44%), compared to 2021 (50%), whilst there was a higher proportion of miscellaneous trips taken in Wales in 2022 (19%) compared to 2021 (16%).

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022

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

There has been a notable fall in the average length of trip taken in GB and Wales in 2022 (3.0 nights) compared to 2021 when trips taken in Wales had an average trip length of 3.7 nights. The fall in average trip lengths in Wales and GB is consistent across all trip types. The average length of trip in 2022 is higher for holidays taken in Wales and GB compared to other trip types.

Despite the lower average trip lengths in 2022, there has been a notable increase in spend per trip which was £220 for trips taken in Wales in 2022 compared to £198 in 2021. A similar increase has been seen for GB as a whole with average spend per trip of £262 in 2022 compared to £230 in 2021. The average spend in 2022 is higher for holiday trips compared to other trip types partly due to the longer length of holiday trips, but business trips have the highest spend per night.

Figure 2: Volume and proportion of trips taken in Great Britain and Wales by main location visited, 2022 [Note 1]

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Description of Figure 2: A stacked column chart showing trips to large cities/large towns made up the largest proportion of GB trips, but in Wales there was a more even spread of trips to different types of location.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022

[Note 1] The numbers within the coloured segments are the number of trips taken to each main location in millions. For instance, in 2022, there were 2.20 million trips to a countryside/village location taken in Wales.

There was a spread of trips to different types of location across Wales in 2022, but there was an increase in the proportion of trips to cities and large towns in 2022 (28%) compared to 2021 (23%). A much higher proportion of trips taken in Wales in 2021 and 2022 were to the seaside and coastal areas compared to GB as a whole. This reflects the higher proportion of holiday trips taken in Wales. Trips to cities and large towns account for a much higher proportion of trips taken across GB as a whole, with the proportion of these trips increasing in 2022.

Figure 3: Volume and proportion of trips and spend where a region of Wales is main place of visit, 2022 [Note 1] [Note 2]

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Description of Figure 3: A stacked column chart showing South East Wales received the most trips and the highest spending from GB residents.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022

[Note 1] Low base sizes for some regions, data should be treated with caution.

[Note 2] The numbers within the coloured segments are the number of trips taken in Wales in millions, and the amount spent on trips taken in Wales in millions of pounds, for each region of Wales. For instance, in 2022, there were 1.77 million trips to South West Wales.

In 2022, South-East Wales was the most visited region in Wales, whereas North Wales was the most visited region in 2021. This change may be partly due to a higher proportion of trips to cities and large towns reported in 2022.  South East Wales was the main destination for 30% of trips taken in 2022. This compares to North Wales, the main destination for 26% of trips taken in Wales. South West Wales was the main destination for 20% of trips, and Mid Wales was the main destination for 10% of trips taken in Wales. The remaining trips in Wales were to various destinations where the main place visited was outside of Wales. North Wales received the highest proportion of spend in 2022.

Figure 4: Volume and proportion of trips taken in Great Britain and Wales by main type of accommodation used, 2022 [Note 1]

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Description of Figure 4: A stacked bar chart showing that 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 3.35 million trips to Wales.

Trips to Wales in 2022 were most likely to be staying in serviced accommodation followed by caravan/camping/glamping and a private home (including the home of friends/relatives and second homes). Compared to 2021, visitors were more likely to be staying in serviced accommodation with 38% using this form of accommodation compared to 21% staying in caravan and camping, 21% staying in private homes and 12% staying in self-catering property rental.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022

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

GB residents living outside of Wales generated three quarters of all overnight trips taken in Wales in 2022, with residents of England generating the most trips and expenditure. Residents of Wales generated 1 in 4 trips taken in Wales in 2022. This is a very similar pattern to trips taken in Wales in 2021.

Figure 5: Volume and proportion of trips taken in Great Britain and Wales by age group, 2022 [Note 1]

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Description of Figure 5: A stacked column chart showing trip-takers aged 25-34 years were the largest age group among domestic visitors to Wales and GB.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022

[Note 1] The numbers within the coloured segments are the number of trips taken by each age group in millions. For instance, in 2022, visitors aged 45 to 54 took 1.82 million trips to Wales.

Trips to Wales were spread across different age groups, but those in the age range 25 to 34 years old generated the highest volume of trips taken in Wales in 2022. Visitors from the age group 55 years or older made up a higher proportion of visitors to GB than to Wales. There was an increase in the proportion of younger visitors (under 16-34) in 2022 comprising 50% of all trips taken in Wales compared to 44% in 2021. Wales visitors had a slightly larger average travel party size of 3.0 visitors compared to 2.7 visitors for GB, and 36% of trips taken in Wales included children in the travel party compared to 32% in GB as a whole.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022

There was a gradual increase in domestic overnight trips taken in Great Britain from January 2022 onwards with trips peaking in the June to September quarter, which also was the peak quarter for nights stayed and expenditure. Trips decreased in the October to December period.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), 2022

Similar to the pattern across GB, there was a gradual increase in domestic overnight trips taken in Wales from January onwards, with trips peaking in July to September, which also recorded the highest volume of nights and expenditure. The volume of trips decreased in the final quarter of the year, but they remained above the levels in April to June 2022.

Figure 6: Volume of trips to Wales in millions by quarter of visit, April 2021 to December 2022

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Description of Figure 6: A clustered column chart showing the volume of trips taken in Wales for each quarter with trips higher for the period April to December in 2022 compared to the same period in 2021.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), April 2021 to December 2022

There was an increase of 13% in the volume of trips from April to December 2022, with 7.02 million trips taken in Wales, compared to 6.21 million during the same period in 2021. Trips were higher for the quarters of April to June and October to December in 2022 than 2021, but for the peak summer period from July to September, trip volumes were higher in 2021 compared to 2022.

Figure 7: Total expenditure on trips taken in Wales in millions of pounds by quarter of visit, April 2021 to December 2022

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Description of Figure 7: A clustered column chart showing the expenditure in Wales for each quarter reaching a peak in July to September 2022.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), April 2021 to December 2022

There was an increase of 35% in expenditure to £1.666 billion spent on trips taken in Wales from April to December 2022 compared to £1.231 billion during the same period in 2021. Expenditure was higher for all quarters of 2022 compared to 2021.

Figure 8: Volume of trips taken in Great Britain in millions by quarter of visit, April 2021 to December 2022

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Description of Figure 8: A clustered column chart showing the volume of trips taken in GB for each quarter with trips higher for the period April to December in 2022 compared to the same period in 2021.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), April 2021 to December 2022

There was an increase of 16% in the volume of trips from April to December 2022, with 100.15 million trips taken in GB, compared to 86.16 million during the same period in 2021. Trips were higher for the quarters of April to June and October to December in 2022 than 2021, but for the peak summer period from July to September trip volumes were marginally higher for 2021.

Figure 9: Total expenditure on trips taken in Great Britain in millions of pounds by quarter of visit, April 2021 to December 2022

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Description of Figure 9: A clustered column chart showing the expenditure in GB for each quarter reaching a peak in July to September 2022.

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), April 2021 to December 2022

There was an increase of 35% in expenditure to £26.8 billion spent on trips taken in GB from April to December 2022 compared to £19.8 billion during the same period in 2021. Expenditure was higher for all quarters of 2022 than 2021.

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 2022 with 2019 and previous years.

Methodology

In 2019, Visit Wales, VisitScotland and VisitEngland, undertook a review of the requirements and methods for producing the official GB domestic tourist statistics, to future-proof the data collection methods, whilst maintaining the reliability and robustness of the information reported. As a result, substantial changes were introduced as part of a new combined online survey collecting data on both domestic overnight trips as well as domestic day trips. This represents a fundamental change in the way data is collected for overnight visits including moving from the previous in-home face to face survey method to a new combined online survey covering both domestic overnight trips and day trips.

The sample for the new combined 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. Fieldwork for the new survey started in England and Wales in January 2022 and the number of interviews achieved for the period January to December 2022 is 61,610 interviews for GB residents including 7,877 interviews with Welsh residents. 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. Base sizes are published in the GBTS Background Quality Report 2022.

As part of the survey changes, a revised weighting scheme has been introduced to improve efficiency, whilst making 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. We are planning to introduce a new question in the survey during 2023 that captures household income that will be used to analyse and report on trips taken by different household income bands from 2023 onwards.

Further details of the changes to survey method, sample design, estimation approaches and the effects of applied caps and recalibration are available in the GBTS Background Quality Report 2022.

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, together with the interruption in data collection due to COVID-19, means that results published from April 2021 onwards are not directly comparable with data published for 2019 and previous years.

As part of the survey, respondents are asked about any overnight trips they have taken in the 4 full weeks prior to their date of interview (reference period). Trip and expenditure estimates are reported for individual calendar months as well as for quarterly and annual periods. As the interview reference periods do not exactly correspond with calendar months an adjustment is made using a ‘seasonal smoothing factor’ to improve monthly comparisons within and between years. The monthly estimates are subject to limitations on sample size and seasonal fluctuations in trip taking across the year. The monthly pattern of visits in 2022 will have also been influenced by any COVID-19 restrictions in place limiting travel at different times of the year. Users are advised to be aware of these limitations when making month on month comparisons.

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 (Office for National Statistics). Due to the changes in methodology and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the survey results for 2021 have been labelled as ‘experimental statistics’ (Office for National Statistics). 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.

As the statistics are produced using a non-probability online survey method, they are subject to the limitations and potential sources of bias and error associated with such surveys. These include:

• coverage error: due to part of the GB population not having online access
• sampling error: using a sample to measure the behaviour of the full GB population
• sample bias: including differences between people with online access and who are online panel members compared to those who are not
• measurement error: due to respondents entering incorrect values
• non-response error: including survey refusals and drop-outs and the availability of ‘don’t know’ and ‘prefer not to say’ options

The GBTS data are weighted to correct for any imperfections in the achieved sample that might lead to bias and to rectify any differences between the sample and the target GB population. The survey uses a mix of accredited online panels to mitigate for possible panel specific biases, and the mix of panels is kept consistent over time. Demographic quotas are used to align the sample with the GB population. The survey script and data processing include bespoke checks to verify the accuracy of responses. Imputation is used to cover missing data and caps are used to minimise the impact of extreme values that are entered. It is not possible to measure standard sample errors due to the non-probability sample being used, but base sizes are reported for eligible trip takers and users are advised to consider and be cautious of small base sizes, particularly for monthly data and lower-level geographies, when drawing inferences from the statistics.

Further details of quality assurance and trip base sizes are provided in the GBTS Background Quality Report 2022.

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 current questionnaire is included in the GBTS Background Quality Report 2022.

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. Disruption to the new combined GBTS and GBDVS survey due to COVID-19 and comprehensive testing and quality assuring of the new statistics have resulted in the reporting of 2022 statistics to be later than normal. 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.

A summary of changes made to the GBTS survey in 2021 compared to 2019 and previous years

GBTS Background Quality Report 2022

Estimates for domestic overnight tourism in England are available from VisitEngland

Estimates for domestic overnight tourism in Scotland are available from VisitScotland

Statistician: David Stephens
Email: tourismresearch@gov.wales

Media: 0300 025 8099

SFR 71/2023