The continued impacts of the cost-of-living crisis struck the only gloomy tone to the conference at York St John University, which did report consumer confidence in other parts of the world is rising.
Katerina Rysova, a senior insights manager for Visit Britain and Visit England, said after the pandemic there was a ‘pent up demand’ for tourism in the UK, but in 2022 and 2023 people sought cheaper accommodation in the UK.
In 2024, the number of overseas tourists exceeded 2019 levels, but domestic visits were spending less, increasingly taking part in day trips, or seeking trips abroad.
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Britons were bringing their own food rather than eating in cafes on such day trips.
The number of business trips remains down, Katerina said. with video calling and teams the new normal.
Business trips for small meetings are unlikely to return, but larger business gatherings are starting to come back.
Overseas visitors spent similar amounts to Britons, about £100 a day, but their visits were longer at 6-7 days, compared to 2.83 days for Britons.
The number of overseas visitors to York increased from 193,000 to 276,000 in 2023, but in 2019, the number was 297,000.
Such visitor spend had increased from £92million to £130 million in York, with an average spend per visit dropping for £473 to £435 between 2022 and 2023.
The number of ‘inbound’ or UK visitors to York was 11 million, Katerina continued.
The global outlook was improving as fewer people overseas reported financial hardship and 47 per cent expecting their personal finances to improve, up 6 per cent on 2023.
More tourists were coming from the USA and Australia, with their numbers exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Asia was more sluggish with Europe mostly at 2019 levels.
The biggest spenders were from Saudia Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, numbers who were likely to increase as electronic visas made their passage to Britain easier.
However, electronic visas are likely to reduce visitor numbers from the European Union as their ease of entry is now harder.
Numbers from China were now ‘rebounding’ fuelled by a growth in people travelling solo, rather than in groups.
Other trends included the use of artificial intelligence in planning itineraries, but there was also a trend for some to ‘escape the algorithm’ by asking friends and others for their opinions.
Social wellness was another trend, people travelling to combat loneliness, seeking local allure or local experiences and back to nature.
Film and tv locations were also increasingly popular, as highlighted by a new Visit Britain film now available on You Tube and on its website, Katerina added.
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