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Overview

  • The International Passenger Survey (IPS) has information on the numbers and types of visits made by people travelling to and from the UK.
  • The survey is carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). VisitBritain, VisitScotland, and Visit Wales are sponsors of the survey.
  • Detailed results for 2024 can be found under "annual performance 2024" and results for 2023 are available under "annual performance 2023".
  • The survey's methodology is currently under review. The publication of future quarterly results may be subject to delay, while the ONS conduct additional quality assurance.
  • International Passenger Survey data can be subject to revisions. Further information is available within the methodology on this page.

In this article:

International tourism update: 2024

Published August 2025

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1. Annual performance 2024

4.4 million

trips in Scotland by international visitors

30.7 million

nights in Scotland by international visitors

£4.0 billion

total spend in Scotland by international visitors

Source: International Passenger Survey (IPS, 2024)

In 2024, international visitors made 4.4 million trips to Scotland with 30.7 million nights and £4.0 billion spent overall. When compared with the same period in 2023, volume of international trips and value of spend had increased while volume of nights decreased.

Total spend was 59% greater versus 2019 (in nominal terms) and 11% greater versus 2023 (in nominal terms). Taking inflation into account, total spend was 26% greater versus 2019 and 8% greater versus 2023.

The average duration of trips to Scotland during the reporting period was 7.0 nights, with an average spend per night of £129 and average spend per trip of £912.

The North American market showed the largest increase in visits compared to 2023, while the European market showed the largest increase in spend.

International tourism performance 2024

All passengers Quarter one 2024 Quarter two 2024 Quarter three 2024 Quarter four 2024 2024 full year % change versus 2019 % change versus 2023
Visits 602,000 1,364,000 1,326,000 1,073,000 4,366,000 +26% +9%
Nights 3,828,000 9,854,000 10,265,000 6,796,000 30,743,000 +12% -11%
Spend £322 million £1,308 million £1,546 million £805 million £3,981 million +56% +11%
Source: International Passenger Survey (IPS)

Following a statistical review, the ONS has implemented a number of changes to data collection and survey methodology in order to make the travel and tourism statistics more accurate and coherent.

Read more on the review and improvements to travel and tourism statistics on ons.gov.uk.

Please note that the quarter three and quarter four of 2024 results are official statistics under development, which means quality assurance is ongoing. Estimates are subject to change and should not be used for policy or decision making.

Read more about the official statistics in development on osr.statisticsauthority.gov.uk.

2. Annual performance 2023

In 2023, international travel to Scotland continued its strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit numbers, nights spent, and visitor spending all surpassed the levels seen in both 2019 and 2022.

International visitors made a total of 4 million visits to Scotland, stayed for 34.4 million nights, and spent £3,593 million.

  • Visits were up 23% compared to 2022 and 15% compared to 2019.
  • The number of nights went up by 20% from 2022 and 25% from 2019.
  • Visitor spending increased in nominal terms by 13% compared to 2022 and by 41% compared to 2019.

Taking inflation into account, overall spend would have been up 2% on 2022. This is equivalent to £3,308 million in 2022 prices (up 15% on 2019) and to £2,930 million in 2019 prices.

International tourism performance 2022- 2023

Year Visits Nights Spend
2022 3,242,000 28,662,000 £3,192 million
2023 3,987,000 34,354,000 £3,593 million
Change +23% +20% +13%
Source: International Passenger Survey (IPS)

 International performance 2015-2023

Year Visits Nights Spend
2015 2,634,000 21,442,000 £1,720 million
2016 2,871,000 22,482,000 £1,944 million
2017 3,431,000 26,450,000 £2,459 million
2018 3,729,000 25,443,000 £2,379 million
2019 3,457,000 27,467,000 £2,547 million
2021 479,000 7,629,000 £462 million
2022 3,242,000 28,662,000 £3,192 million
2023 3.987,000 34,354,000 £3,593 million
Source: International Passenger Survey (IPS)

3. Methodology and definitions

Methodology

The International Passenger Survey (IPS) is a continuous survey conducted at major ports of entry to or exit from the UK. The survey provides information on the numbers and types of visits made by people travelling to and from the UK. It covers all major, air, sea and tunnel ports.

Anonymous face-to-face interviews are undertaken with a sample of passengers as they enter or leave the UK. International Passenger Survey data is published on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website.

Browse leisure and tourism insights on ons.gov.uk.

Our partner, VisitBritain, is a member of the International Passenger Survey Steering Group and one of the main users of data generated by overseas residents visiting the UK. They have published a methodology summary and a frequently asked questions document.

Read more about the International Passenger Survey on visitbritain.org.

Key concepts and definitions

Term Definition
Number of visits International Passenger Survey data relates to the number of visits rather than the number of visitors. Anyone who enters or leaves the UK more than once in the same reporting period is counted on each visit.
Expenditure An estimate of the total expenditure made by international visitors to Scotland, including spend on goods and services consumed within the UK, but excluding amounts spent on fares to and from the UK.
Purpose of visit The International Passenger Survey records many different reasons for making a visit. VisitScotland combines these into the following five main categories: holiday, business, visiting friends or relatives (VFR), study, miscellaneous. Visits are categorised by their primary purpose; if unclear, they are marked as "miscellaneous". Migrants to the UK and transport crew are excluded from the analysis.
Country of residence The main country of residence of the visitor. Due to small sample sizes, some countries are shown within groups rather than individually.
Mode of transport The International Passenger Survey records the mode of transport an overseas visitor uses to leave the UK. VisitScotland analysis assumes the same mode of transport is used to "arrive" in the UK.
Region of stay The International Passenger Survey records which towns overseas residents report staying in when visiting the UK. Care must be taken when using regional information, as the numbers of visits to separate towns/regions cannot simply be added together to form larger regions. This is because a visitor may stay in more than one town/region during a single visit. As a result, the numbers of visits to smaller areas do not sum to the figures given for larger regions in the regional data.
Age and gender Respondents' age and sex are collected during the International Passenger Survey interview. Instead of exact ages, age groups are used because people may not give precise answers, and age groups typically meet user needs. All travelers, including those under 16, are eligible for interview. For children under 16, interviews are conducted only with the permission of a parent, guardian or responsible adult (such as a teacher on a school trip). If a child is too young, proxy information is gathered from that adult when possible.

COVID-19 impact on International Passenger Survey data collection

Methodological improvements relating to the survey's weighting were introduced for the 2019 estimates. A revised series was published in May 2019 for the years 2009 to 2018.

The survey was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic between 16 March 2020 and 18 January 2021. High-level estimates of travel and tourism have been produced by the ONS for April to December 2020 using alternative sources.

The survey remained suspended at some seaports and train stations in 2021. The ONS has applied the following processes to the data since March 2020.

4. Previous years

Data from the International Passenger Survey on visitors from international markets to Scotland from previous years can be accessed through our interactive dashboards on the Scottish Tourism Observatory.

Read about international visitors to Scotland from 2013 to 2023 on tourismobservatory.scot.

5. Official statistics and partners

The International Passenger Survey (IPS) is a continuous survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is made following the Code of Practice for Official Statistics (2023) as produced by the Office for Statistics Regulation.

Read the Code of Practice for Official Statistics on code.statisticsauthority.gov.uk.

6. Additional research resources

Latest quarterly estimates

visitbritain.org

See the latest quarterly estimates for the number of visits and spend by inbound visitors to Scotland.

Leisure and tourism statistics 2024

ons.gov.uk

Browse reasons for travel and money spent by visitors to and from the UK in 2024.

Leisure and tourism statistics 2023

ons.gov.uk

Browse reasons for travel and money spent by visitors to and from the UK in 2023.

Leisure and tourism statistics 2022

ons.gov.uk

Browse reasons for travel and money spent by visitors to and from the UK in 2022.

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