# International Passenger Survey: UK Travel Patterns and Visitor Demographics

**Publisher:** VisitBritain  
**Published:** 2025-12-30  
**Category:** Destinations, NTOs & DMOs  
**Type:** Factsheet  
**Access:** Free  
**Official source:** https://www.visitbritain.org/research-insights/about-international-passenger-survey  
**Canonical:** https://tourismintel.ai/reports/about-the-international-passenger-survey

## At a glance
- IPS covers all major UK air, sea and tunnel ports with approximately 95% of passengers having a sampling chance.
- Survey resumed full operations in July 2022 after COVID-19 suspension; 2020–2022 data involved modelling and administrative sources.
- Inbound tourism data from 2009–2018 was retrospectively revised upwards following a 2020 adjustment for nationality imbalances.
- IPS methodology underwent changes from Q3 2024 as part of ongoing improvements to travel and tourism statistics.

## What the report covers
The International Passenger Survey is a continuous official statistics programme by the Office for National Statistics measuring inbound and outbound UK travel. It collects detailed data on visitor numbers, demographics and spending through anonymous face-to-face interviews at major transport ports. VisitBritain publishes results monthly, quarterly and annually by region and town to support destination marketing, hotel operations and travel-tech planning.

## Key findings
The IPS achieves high sampling coverage through random face-to-face interviews at UK entry and exit points. According to the report, approximately 95 per cent of passengers entering and leaving the UK have a chance of being sampled. Data is published on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis by the ONS, with VisitBritain analysing results by overseas markets, UK regions and towns.

COVID-19 caused significant operational disruption. The IPS was suspended on 16 March 2020 and fully resumed at all ports from July 2022. Data for 2020 (except Q1) used administrative sources and modelling rather than direct survey results. No estimates are included for Irish border travel from 2021 onwards, requiring cautious interpretation of this period.

A major planned revision in May 2020 addressed imbalances in nationality-based visitor estimates between arrivals and departures. The ONS and University of Southampton developed a new adjustment method applied retrospectively to 2009–2018 inbound and outbound tourism data. The report notes total volume and value of tourism were revised upwards, with some countries significantly revised and all countries adjusted to some degree.

Regional and nations-level estimates for 2019–2022 were revised on 17 May 2024. These improvements produced small changes of less than 4 per cent across visits, spend and nights at the UK nations and regional level, though larger variations appeared when cross-tabulating by other characteristics.

## Key numbers
| Metric | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Sampling coverage of passengers entering/leaving UK | approximately 95% | Random face-to-face interviews at all major ports; observed coverage |
| IPS full operations resumption date | July 2022 | After COVID-19 suspension from 16 March 2020; partial operations from early 2021 |
| Period of retrospective data revision for nationality adjustment | 2009–2018 | Applied in May 2020; total tourism volume/value revised upwards |
| Change magnitude in 2019–2022 regional estimates | less than 4% | For visits, spend and nights at UK nations and regions level; May 2024 revision |
| Methodology revision implementation date | Q3 2024 | Part of ongoing improvements to travel and tourism statistics |
| IPS data publication frequency | monthly, quarterly and annual | Published by ONS; annual data considered final after all revisions |

## Why it matters
**DMOs & destinations** — IPS provides the official baseline for UK inbound visitor numbers, spending and regional distribution. The 95% sampling coverage ensures robust data for strategic planning. Quarterly and annual breakdowns by region and town enable targeted marketing and investment decisions. Methodology improvements from Q3 2024 enhance accuracy for competitive benchmarking.

**Hotels & hospitality** — IPS data reveals visitor demographics, length of stay and spending by origin market and season. Hotels use this intelligence to forecast demand, adjust pricing and tailor services to key segments. Annual data revisions require ongoing recalibration of forecasting models. VisitBritain's sponsored questions provide deeper behavioural insights beyond arrivals and expenditure.

**Travel tech & distribution** — IPS supports demand modelling, inventory planning and route/channel allocation across platforms. Monthly updates enable real-time trend monitoring and competitive positioning. Transparency on methodology changes helps platforms maintain forecast reliability. Supplementary data sources such as card spending analysis offer multi-signal validation of traveller behaviour.

## Methodology and limits
The IPS is a continuous programme by the Office for National Statistics using anonymous face-to-face interviews with random passenger samples at all major UK air, sea and tunnel ports. Approximately 95 per cent of passengers have a selection chance. Data is collected monthly and published quarterly and annually. Estimates undergo planned and unplanned revisions as updated passenger information and statistical benchmarking are applied; annual data is considered final. 2020–2022 figures incorporated administrative sources and modelling due to COVID-19 disruption. Methodology changes took effect from Q3 2024.

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© VisitBritain for the original report. This brief is an original editorial summary by TourismIntel (https://tourismintel.ai). Read the original: https://www.visitbritain.org/research-insights/about-international-passenger-survey