4 November, 2013 - TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel site*, reveals the top 10 nationalities of travellers showing interest in the UK. The study shows that American travellers are not only the largest inbound market to the UK, they are also showing the largest increase in interest year-over-year, growing at a rate of 23 percent. Travellers from Canada, Singapore and China are also showing significantly more interest in Britain as a destination, growing at rates of 21%, 19% and 18% respectively.  And with China now theworld’s largest source market for outbound tourism by expenditure^*, this is good news for UK hospitality businesses.

Top 10 nationalities looking at UK destinations on TripAdvisor¹:

Brits love the UK and clearly spend a lot of time holidaying at home, as British travellers make up 68% of all visits to UK destinations on TripAdvisor. While the top ten list is dominated by European markets, the US, Australia, Canada and China are the main long-haul markets showing interest in the UK.

American travellers planning trips to UK

U.S. travellers’ interest in visiting the UK is on the rise, with the market showing a growth of 23 percent year on year. Canadians, Singaporians and Chinese are also becoming more interested in the UK as a destination.

Top 10 fastest growing markets researching UK destinations on TripAdvisor²:

The most popular UK destinations on TripAdvisor³:

This study also revealed the most popular UK destinations according to British and International travellers on TripAdvisor.  London tops both lists, but there’s a battle for second place with Brits preferring Yorkshire whereas international travellers are keener on Edinburgh.

Top 10 UK destinations according to Brits:

Top 10 UK destinations according to international travellers:

“In the year of the post-Olympics afterglow and a new royal baby to celebrate, it is clear that the UK’s place on the world stage is as strong as ever. However, the patterns are changing – the traditional European markets looking to the UK as a travel destination are still strong, however they are not growing year-on-year. Though it’s great to see the rising interest from countries such as China and Argentina, the changes in pattern reflect the changes in economic fortunes of other countries around the world. According to China Tourism Academy^**, China outbound travel is estimated to reach 94 million trips in 2013, up 15% year-on-year. These travellers are estimated to spend US$117.6 billion on their trips, up 20% year-on-year – good news for UK hospitality businesses,” commented Alison Copus, VP Marketing, TripAdvisor for Business. 

“Overall, interest in UK destinations is on the rise, and not just to the traditional holiday hotspots on the coast or in the capital – the UK’s inland countryside is thriving too, with Yorkshire and the Scottish Highlands both holding a place in the top five destinations for international travellers.”