Australian and New Zealand travellers set records for spending and visits to Britain

Sunset in Houses Of Parliament - London
Edited by Travel Weekly


    Australia and New Zealand’s appetite for Britain continues to grow with the markets setting new records for spending and visits to the UK in the second quarter of 2023 (April – June) according to the latest official visitor statistics from VisitBritain. 

    Visitors from Australia spent a record-breaking £415 million (around AUD $800m) on their trips to the UK in Q2 2023, positioning it as Britain’s third most valuable source market for the quarter, behind the USA and Germany, and exceeding Q2 2019 levels by 24 per cent.

    Australia also broke quarter records for number of visits, 308,000 Australian travellers visiting Britain between April to June 2023, up 14 per cent on Q2 2019.

    Continuing its accelerated recovery for inbound travel to the UK in 2022, New Zealand also delivered a record-breaking spend of £93 million (AUD $178m) in the second quarter of 2023 with 68,000 Kiwis travelling to Britain in the same period, up 29 per cent on Q2 2019 visit levels.

    VisitBritain’s Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand, Maria Sykes said:

    “Off the back of tremendous growth for both Australia and New Zealand in 2022, we are delighted to see such a positive trend continue to unfold this year,’ country manager (AU/NZ), Visit Britain, Maria Sykes, said. 

    “With the global spotlight on Britain in early 2023 for the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and the 67th Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, it’s clear that Britain’s pomp and pageantry and rich musical heritage continue to remain key draw cards for international visitors. 

    “The connective tissue between Australia, New Zealand and the UK runs deep, and these strong ties will continue to foster growth in 2023.

    “Working closely with our dedicated industry partners, we look forward to encouraging even more Aussie and Kiwi travellers to stay longer and explore more of Britain throughout the year”. 

    In the second half of the year, visitors to Britain can look forward to exciting seasonal offerings, new developments and hallmark events still to come in 2023.

    From Bonfire Night celebrations in November to the forthcoming festive season, Britain’s cities and towns are preparing the twinkling lights, cosy winter pop-ups and charming Christmas markets. Visitors will also be delighted with several new holiday season attractions this year.

    VisitBritain’s latest forecast for 2023 estimates 37.5 million inbound visits to the UK, 92 per cent of 2019 levels.

    Its revised forecast for overseas visitor spending in the UK this year is £30.9 billion (around AUD $59b), a projected record high for annual inbound visitor spend.

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