Visit Scotland | Alba

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.

  • This page details findings for international tourism to Scotland only.

  • 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.

  • IPS data can be subject to revisions. Further information is available within the methodology on this page.

In this article:

1. Executive summary

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 and 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)

2. 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. IPS 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 IPS 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.

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.

3. 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 2021 to 2023 on tourismobservatory.scot.

Read about international visitors to Scotland from 2012 to 2019 on tourismobservatory.scot.

4. 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.

5. 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 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.

Leisure and tourism statistics 2021

ons.gov.uk

Browse reasons for travel and money spent by visitors to and from the UK in 2021.

Related links