Domestic GB Tourism Statistics (day trips in Wales): 2022
Data on day trips by British residents to destinations throughout Britain for 2022.
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In this page
Introduction
This is the first release of the main estimates for the volume and value of domestic day trips taken by British residents in Wales and Great Britain in 2022. The statistics published in this release cover the period from the start of January to the end of December 2022. The report includes estimates and details of day trips taken in Wales, and in Great Britain for comparative purposes.
There are two main measures for day trips reported in this publication.
3 hours or more leisure day trips
These are trips by adults and accompanied children that lasted for 3 or more hours, including travel time, to undertake one or more eligible leisure activities.
Tourism day trips
These are a subset of 3 hours or more leisure day visits and to qualify as a tourism day trip they must meet the additional criteria of being undertaken less often than once a week and must include a visit to a place outside of the local authority where the trip started.
Further information is provided in the section on definitions.
Detailed results for England and Scotland are being published by VisitEngland and VisitScotland.
These statistics are used to monitor domestic tourism demand and measure the contribution and impact of domestic tourism on the visitor economy. A key purpose of these statistics is to uncover insights into market trends over time. Estimates of domestic day trips to Wales in 2021 have been published and are comparable with the results in this release. Changes in survey methodology introduced in 2021, together with the interruption in data collection due to COVID-19, mean that results published in this release are not directly comparable with data published for 2019 and previous years. Please refer to the section on comparability and coherence.
These statistics are labelled as ‘experimental’ to enable testing and further modification to meet user needs. Further information on this is available on the Office for National Statistics website. We are keen to check that the new tourism statistics meet user needs and invite you to provide feedback on the information in this output at tourismresearch@gov.wales.
Main points
Wales trips
- In 2022, Great Britain (GB) residents took 180.0 million leisure day trips lasting 3 hours or more in Wales with £5.48 billion spent during these trips.
- 34% of leisure day trips taken in Wales were tourism day trips with 62.0 million tourism day trips taken in 2022 with an associated spend of £2.37 billion.
- Approximately 6% of GB leisure day trips of 3 hours or more and tourism day trips included a visit in Wales. The share of total GB spend was 6% for leisure day trips of 3 hours or more, and 5% for tourism day trips.
- July to September saw the highest trip volume and expenditure for leisure day trips lasting three hours or more. For tourism day visits, trips volumes and expenditure were highest in April to June.
- The volume of leisure day visits of three hours or more and of tourism day trips taken were higher during the second and third quarters of 2022 than during these quarters in 2021. The volume of tourism day trips taken during the final quarter of 2022 was also higher than the volume of tourism day trips taken in the final quarter of 2021. However, the volume of leisure day visits of three hours or more in the final quarter of 2022 was lower than the volume of these trips in the final quarter of 2021.
- The average expenditure on leisure day trips of 3 hours or more was £30 compared to £38 for tourism day trips taken in Wales.
Great Britain trips
- In 2022, GB residents took 2,788.4 million leisure day trips lasting 3 hours or more in GB with £95.33 billion spent during these trips.
- 39% of leisure day trips taken in GB were tourism day trips with 1,086.2 million tourism day trips taken in 2022, with an associated spend of £45.04 billion.
- 87% of tourism day trips taken in GB included a visit in England, 9% included a visit in Scotland and 6% included a visit in Wales.
- The volume of tourism day trips taken in GB in 2022 peaked during the July to September period, while expenditure on tourism day trips taken in GB was highest during the October to December period. July to September saw the highest trip volume and expenditure for leisure day trips lasting three hours or more.
- The volume of leisure day visits of three hours or more and of tourism day trips taken during the second, third and fourth quarters of 2022 were all higher than the volume of these trips taken during these quarters in 2021.
- The average expenditure on leisure day trips of 3 hours or more was £34 compared to £41 for tourism day trips taken in GB.
Trips and spend to GB nations, 2022
| 3 hours or more leisure day trips | Great Britain | England | Scotland | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trips (millions) | 2788.4 | 2360.7 | 290.5 | 180.0 |
| % Great Britain trips | 100% | 85% | 10% | 6% |
| Spend (£millions) | £95,333 | £80,837 | £9,021 | £5,476 |
| % Great Britain spend | 100% | 85% | 9% | 6% |
Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), 2022
[Note 1] Percentages do not sum to 100% as some leisure day trips included visits to more than one nation.
| Tourism day trips | Great Britain | England | Scotland | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trips (millions) | 1086.2 | 945.0 | 94.8 | 62.0 |
| % Great Britain trips | 100% | 87% | 9% | 6% |
| Spend (£millions) | £45,043 | £38,740 | £3,937 | £2,365 |
| % Great Britain spend | 100% | 86% | 9% | 5% |
Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), 2022
In 2022, there were 2,788.4 million leisure day trips of 3 hours or more taken in GB by British residents with a total expenditure of £95.33 billion. During the same period there were 180.0 million leisure day trips of 3 hours or more taken in Wales with a total expenditure of £5.48 billion. Approximately 6% of all leisure day trips of 3 hours or more by British residents were taken in Wales, compared to 85% taken in England and 10% taken in Scotland. The share of total spend in Wales was also 6%.
There were 1086.2 million tourism day trips taken in GB by British residents in 2022 with a total expenditure of £45.04 billion. During the same period there were 62.0 million tourism day trips taken in Wales with a spend of £2.37 billion. Tourism day trips accounted for 34% of leisure day trips of 3 hours or more taken in Wales and 43% of expenditure.
Characteristics of GB and Wales trips
| 3 hours or more leisure day trips | Great Britain | Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Spend per trip | £34 | £30 |
| Tourism day trips | Great Britain | Wales |
| Spend per trip | £41 | £38 |
Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), 2022
The average expenditure on both leisure day trips of 3 hours or more and tourism day trips taken in Wales is lower than GB with an average spend per trip of £30 and £38 respectively. Notably, there is a higher average spend on tourism day trips than leisure day trips of 3 hours or more taken in GB and in Wales.
Average expenditure on both leisure day trips of 3 hours or more and tourism day trips was higher in 2022 than during the period from April to December 2021. For leisure day trips of 3 hours or more taken from April to December 2021, average expenditure was £31 for trips taken in GB, and £26 for trips taken in Wales. Average expenditure on tourism day trips was £40 for trips taken in GB, and £36 for trips taken in Wales, during the period April to December 2021. This increase is in part due to a rise in the volume of both leisure day trips of 3 hours or more and tourism day trips where the main activity undertaken is ‘food, drink, a night out or specialty shopping’ in 2022. These trips tend to generate higher levels of spending – in 2022, tourism day trips featuring this as the main activity undertaken produced an average spend per trip of £81 for trips taken in Wales, and £64 for trips taken in GB.
There was an average party size of 3.0 adults and children on leisure day trips of 3 hours or more taken in Wales in 2022 with 31% of trips taken by solo travellers, 34% by 2 people and 35% by travel parties of 3 or more people.
| Main activity undertaken | Great Britain trips | Wales trips |
|---|---|---|
| Visited friends or relatives | 989.0 | 62.3 |
| Food and drink, a night out or speciality shopping | 397.8 | 27.6 |
| Went to a visitor attraction | 236.3 | 16.7 |
| Took part in sports or outdoor leisure activities | 275.0 | 16.2 |
| Took part in hobbies and interests | 257.9 | 15.9 |
| Went sightseeing and exploring areas | 158.7 | 13.2 |
| Attended a special event or celebration | 186.3 | 10.9 |
| Attended an organised public event | 127.1 | 6.4 |
| Took part in a health or wellbeing experience | 36.6 | 3.5 |
| Went to an arts, cultural or entertainment experience | 56.4 | 3.0 |
| Took part in leisure activities not mentioned above | 67.3 | 4.1 |
Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), 2022
Figure 1: Proportion of 3 hours or more leisure day trips in Great Britain and Wales by main activity undertaken, 2022
Description of Figure 1: A clustered bar chart showing that visiting friends or relatives was the most frequent main activity undertaken on leisure day trips of 3 hours or more in GB and Wales.
Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), 2022
Visiting friends and relatives comprised 35% of trips taken in Wales and in GB. Food and drink, a night out or speciality shopping was the second most popular main activity undertaken on leisure day trips of 3 hours or more in GB and Wales. The third most popular activity undertaken on leisure day trips of 3 hours of more in GB was taking part in sports or outdoor leisure activities, while in Wales, going to a visitor attraction was the third most popular activity. The mix of different types of activities undertaken on leisure day trips of 3 hours or more taken in GB and Wales has been similar in 2021 and 2022, but there are indications of an increase in the volumes of trips for food and drink, a night out or speciality shopping, attending organised public events and visits to attractions.
| Main activity undertaken | Great Britain trips | Wales trips |
|---|---|---|
| Visited friends or relatives | 313.5 | 17.3 |
| Went to a visitor attraction | 174.0 | 11.5 |
| Food and drink, a night out or speciality shopping | 149.6 | 9.1 |
| Went sightseeing and exploring areas | 87.5 | 5.9 |
| Attended an organised public event | 90.8 | 4.3 |
| Took part in sports or outdoor leisure activities | 70.6 | 4.0 |
| Attended a special event or celebration | 81.2 | 3.8 |
| Took part in hobbies and interests | 55.7 | 2.8 |
| Went to an arts, cultural or entertainment experience | 28.6 | 1.2 |
| Took part in a health or wellbeing experience | 12.1 | 0.7 |
| Took part in leisure activities not mentioned above | 22.6 | 1.4 |
Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), 2022
[Note 1] Low base sizes for 'Took part in a health or wellbeing experience', 'Took part in leisure activities not mentioned above', and 'Went to an arts, cultural or entertainment experience' - data should be treated with caution.
Figure 2: Proportion of tourism day trips in Great Britain and Wales by main activity undertaken, 2022
Description of Figure 2: A clustered bar chart showing that visiting friends or relatives was the most frequent main activity undertaken on tourism day trips in GB and Wales.
Visiting friends and relatives comprised 28% of trips taken in Wales and 29% of all GB trips. Going to a visitor attraction and food and drink, a night out or specialty shopping were the second and third most popular activities undertaken on tourism day trips in Wales and in GB. Tourism day trips that featured going to a visitor attraction or sightseeing and exploring areas as the main activities undertaken made up a higher proportion of tourism day trips taken in Wales, compared to tourism day trips taken in GB.
Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), 2022
Detailed characteristics of GB and Wales tourism day trips
The rest of this release will focus on the characteristics of tourism day visits. To qualify as a tourism day visit, they must meet the additional criteria of being undertaken less often than once a week and must include a visit to a place outside of the local authority where the trip started.
Figure 3: Volume and proportion of tourism day trips in Great Britain and Wales by main location, 2022 [Note 1]
Description of Figure 3: A stacked column chart showing that trips to large cities/large towns made up the largest proportion of GB trips and Wales trips.
Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), 2022
[Note 1] The numbers within the coloured segments are the number of tourism day trips taken to each main location in millions. For instance, in 2022, there were 12.5 million tourism day trips to a countryside/village location taken in Wales.
Just over 6 in 10 tourism day trips taken in Wales were to urban destinations. However, a higher proportion of tourism trips taken in Wales were to the seaside and coastal areas and small towns, but a lower proportion were taken to large cities and towns, compared to the whole of GB. The proportion of trips taken to large cities and towns increased slightly in 2022, for both trips taken to GB and trips taken to Wales. Additionally, there was a slight decrease in the proportion of trips taken to seaside and coastal areas in Wales, from 17% during the period April to December 2021 to 14% in 2022.
The average spend per trip was notably higher for tourism day trips taken in large cities and towns in Wales (£55) compared to an average of £38 across all types of destination in Wales.
Figure 4: Volume and proportion of tourism day trips and spend where a region of Wales is main place of visit, 2022 [Note 1] [Note 2]
Description of Figure 4: A stacked column chart showing that among the Welsh regions, South East Wales received the most trips and the highest spending from GB residents.
Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), 2022
[Note 1] Low base size for Mid Wales, data should be treated with caution.
[Note 2] The numbers within the coloured segments are the number of tourism day trips taken in Wales in millions, and the amount spent on tourism day trips taken in Wales in millions of pounds, for each region of Wales. For instance, in 2022, there were 11.8 million tourism day trips to South West Wales.
Tourism day trips taken in Wales may be to a region of Wales, or an area outside of Wales, as the main destination for the day trip. South East Wales was the main destination for 48% of tourism day trips taken in Wales, increasing from 36% for the period April to December 2021. North Wales and South West Wales were the main destinations for 20% and 19% of tourism day trips taken in Wales respectively. The proportion of trips where the main destination was North or South West Wales fell slightly in 2022, from 24% for both regions during the period April to December 2021. Mid Wales was the main destination for 5% of trips taken. This pattern will be influenced by the relative population sizes of the regions of Wales.
Around 8% of day trips taken in Wales had a main place of visit outside of Wales.
Profile of visitors taking tourism day trips in Wales
| Trips (millions) | Spend (£millions) | % of Wales trips | |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 24.4 | £933 | 39% |
| Scotland | 1.0 | £80 | 2% |
| Wales | 36.2 | £1,342 | 58% |
Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), 2022
[Note 1] Percentages do not sum to 100%, as some respondents stated that they lived in a National Park.
[Note 2] Low base size for Scotland, data should be treated with caution.
Residents of Wales generated nearly 6 in 10 of all tourism day trips taken in Wales, representing an increase from the period April to December 2021, during which trips by residents of Wales accounted for just over half of trips to Wales. This is driven by an increase in the number of visitors to Wales who are resident in the South East of Wales. Residents of England generated most of the remaining trips to Wales in 2022, although the proportion of trips to Wales taken by residents of England fell from 47% during the period April to December 2021 to 39% in 2022. Of the residents of England who visited Wales in 2022, the majority resided in the neighbouring areas of North West England, the West Midlands, and South West England. The proportion of expenditure generated by residents of Wales in 2022 was closely aligned to the proportion of trips taken, with 57% of the total expenditure on tourism day trips generated by residents of Wales.
Figure 5: Volume and proportion of tourism day trips in Great Britain and Wales by age group, 2022 [Note 1]
Description of Figure 5: A stacked column chart showing that visitors aged 55 years or older were the largest age group among tourism day visitors to GB, while in Wales, 25-34 year olds were the largest age group.
Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), 2022
[Note 1] The numbers within the coloured segments are the number of tourism day trips taken by each age group in millions. For instance, in 2022, visitors aged 45 to 54 took 8.9 million tourism day trips to Wales.
Visitors from the age group 55 years or older made up a higher proportion of visitors to GB than to Wales, while visitors aged 16 to 34 made up higher proportion of visitors to Wales than to GB. Although the proportion of visitors to Wales aged 16 to 34 has remained stable from the period April to December 2021 at 47%, more visitors aged 35 to 44 visited Wales in 2022 than did so during the period April to December 2021, with the proportion of visitors in this age group increasing from 16% to 25%. Additionally, the proportion of visitors to Wales aged 45 or older fell from 36% during the April to December 2021 period to 29% in 2022. Among visitors to GB, the proportions of visitors from different age groups have remained stable, apart from a slight decrease in the proportion of visitors aged 16 to 24, declining from 16% during the period April to December 2021 to 13% in 2022. This suggests that visitors to Wales are increasingly made up of younger people, particularly when compared to GB.
| Great Britain trips (millions) | Great Britain spend (£millions) | |
|---|---|---|
| April to June 2021 | 147.3 | £4,309 |
| July to September 2021 | 246.7 | £10,254 |
| October to December 2021 | 229.7 | £10,379 |
| January to March 2022 | 198.4 | £8,699 |
| April to June 2022 | 261.8 | £11,413 |
| July to September 2022 | 313.3 | £12,359 |
| October to December 2022 | 312.7 | £12,572 |
Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), 2021 to 2022
Figure 6: Volume of tourism day trips in millions in Great Britain by quarter of visit, April 2021 to December 2022
Description of Figure 6: A column chart showing that the volume of tourism day trips taken in GB follows a similar pattern across 2021 and 2022, rising from spring to summer, hitting a peak during the period July to September.
Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), 2021 to 2022
Just over 313 million trips were taken during the July to September period in 2022. Expenditure was highest for the final quarter of October to December 2022, with an expenditure of £12.57 billion on GB tourism day visits. Trip volumes for April to December 2022 were 42% higher than trip volumes for the same period in 2021. Trip volumes for the second, third and fourth quarters of 2022 were all higher than trip volumes for these quarters in 2021 (trip volumes for the first quarter of 2021 are not available and so cannot be compared to trip volumes for the first quarter of 2022). The greatest increase in quarterly trip volumes was in April to June, which saw an increase in trip volumes from 147.3 million visits in 2021 to 261.8 million visits in 2022, representing an increase of 78%. This sharp rise reflects the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions in early 2021, causing a slow rise in trip volumes during April to June in 2021.
| Wales trips (millions) | Wales spend (£millions) | |
|---|---|---|
| April to June 2021 | 8.3 | £273 |
| July to September 2021 | 16.3 | £540 |
| October to December 2021 | 12.8 | £520 |
| January to March 2022 | 12.0 | £451 |
| April to June 2022 | 17.6 | £675 |
| July to September 2022 | 17.0 | £576 |
| October to December 2022 | 15.3 | £664 |
Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), 2021 to 2022
Figure 7: Volume of tourism day trips in millions in Wales by quarter of visit, April 2021 to December 2022
Description of Figure 7: A column chart showing that the volume of tourism day trips to Wales follows a similar pattern across 2021 and 2022, rising from spring to summer, and declining during the winter period.
Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), 2021 to 2022
The volume of day trips and expenditure generated by tourism day trips taken in Wales in 2022 peaked during the April to June period, with 17.6 million tourism day trips taken and £675 million spent during this period. Trip volumes for April to December 2022 were 34% higher than trip volumes for the same period in 2021. Trip volumes for the second, third and fourth quarters of 2022 were all higher than trip volumes for these quarters in 2021 (trip volumes for the first quarter of 2021 are not available and so cannot be compared to trip volumes for the first quarter of 2022). The greatest increase in quarterly trip volumes came in April to June, which saw an increase in trip volumes from 8.3 million visits in 2021 to 17.6 million visits in 2022, representing an increase of 112%. This sharp rise reflects the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions in early 2021, causing a slow rise in trip volumes during April to June in 2021.
Quality and methodology information
Definitions
There are two main measures for day trips used in this report.
3 hours or more leisure day trips
Trips by adults and accompanied children that lasted for 3 or more hours, including travel time, to undertake one or more eligible leisure activities. All overnight trips are excluded as are day trips from a holiday accommodation base.
Tourism day trips
These are a subset of 3 hours or more leisure day visits and to qualify as tourism day trips, they must meet the additional criteria of being undertaken less often than once a week and they must include a visit to a place outside of the local authority where the trip started. The requirement to travel to a different local authority covers most activities with the exception of trips where the main activity is watching live sports events, going to visitor attractions or going to public events, which qualify as tourism day visits even if they are undertaken within the same local authority.
Eligible leisure activities
- Visited friends or relatives.
- Went to a visitor attraction, such as a historic house, theme park, or museum.
- Took part in sports or outdoor leisure activities.
- Went sightseeing and exploring areas.
- Took part in hobbies and interests.
- Took part in a health or wellbeing experience.
- Attended a special event or celebration (such as a wedding or birthday).
- Attended an organised public event (such as an exhibition or live sport).
- Went to an arts, cultural or entertainment experience (such as a museum).
- Food and drink, a night out or speciality shopping.
- Took part in leisure activities not mentioned above.
Other definitions used in this publication
Volume
An estimate of what the grossed-up number of day trips undertaken by the population would be if the survey sample is representative of the whole GB population. The reported volume of trips is an estimate of trips by individuals, so that a travel party of two people would count as two individual trips.
Value
An estimate of what the total expenditure on day trips by the population would be if the survey sample is representative of the whole GB population.
These definitions and the associated qualifying criteria have been revised as part of the new combined GBTS/GBDVS survey to align with agreed international standards. These changes impact comparability between the published domestic day trips estimates for 2022 with those published for 2019 and previous years.
Methodology
In 2019, Visit Wales, VisitScotland and VisitEngland undertook a review of the requirements and methods for producing the official GB domestic tourist statistics, to future-proof the data collection methods, whilst maintaining the reliability and robustness of the information reported. As a result, substantial changes were introduced as part of a new combined online survey collecting data on both domestic overnight trips as well as domestic day trips.
The sample for the new combined online survey is a non-probability-based design sourced from 4 ESOMAR accredited online panel providers and includes quotas for key demographic variables to make the overall sample as representative as possible of GB population. The target annual sample size for the survey of overnight visitors is 35,000 completed interviews. Fieldwork for the new survey started in England and Wales in January 2022 and the number of interviews achieved for the period January to December 2022 is 34,093 interviews for GB residents including 4,298 interviews with Welsh residents. Not every person who is interviewed will have taken an eligible day trip and so the base sizes used for trip estimation are lower than the number of interviews. Base sizes are published in the Great Britain Day Visits background quality report 2022.
As part of the survey changes, a revised weighting scheme has been introduced to improve efficiency, whilst making the results as representative as possible of the GB population. However, the use of a non-probability online sample limits the extent to which the survey responses are truly representative of the full GB population, a limitation of similar online sample surveys. The new weighting scheme uses the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC) mapped to approximate social grade for the purpose of quotas and weighting to the GB population. The change to using NS-SEC as the population statistics source will impact the estimation and reporting of trips compared to the previous reporting of social grade used for GBDVS in 2019 and previous years. We are planning to introduce a new question in the survey during 2023 that captures household income that will be used to analyse and report on trips taken by different household income bands from 2023 onwards.
Further details of the changes to survey method, sample design, estimation approaches and the effects of applied caps are available in the Great Britain Day Visits background quality report 2022.
Comparability and coherence
Statistics for GB day trips have been collected in a broadly similar way since 2011. However, the changes in survey methodology introduced in 2021, together with the interruption in data collection due to COVID-19, means that results published from April 2021 onwards are not directly comparable with data published for 2019 and previous years.
The estimates of volume for 2021 and 2022 included trips by GB adults and accompanying children, whereas the published day trip volumes for 2019 and previous years were estimates of adult trips only.
As part of the survey, respondents are asked about any day trips they have taken in the 7 days prior to their date of interview (reference period). Trip and expenditure estimates are reported for individual calendar months as well as for quarterly and annual periods. As the interview reference periods do not exactly correspond with calendar months an adjustment is made using a ‘seasonal smoothing factor’ to improve monthly comparisons within and between years. The monthly estimates are subject to limitations on sample size and seasonal fluctuations in trip taking across the year. The monthly pattern of visits in 2021 will have also been influenced by any COVID-19 restrictions in place limiting travel at different times of the year, as well as by public confidence undertaking different leisure activities. Users are advised to be aware of these limitations when making monthly or quarterly comparisons.
Accuracy
The statistics produced from the GBDVS in 2019 and previous years have been designated as official statistics, which provides reassurance to users that the statistics are produced to the very highest professional standards of trustworthiness, quality and value, set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics (Office for National Statistics). Due to the changes in methodology and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the survey results for 2021 and 2022 have been labelled as ‘experimental statistics’ (Office for National Statistics). The new survey and statistics have undergone a comprehensive programme of quality assurance including piloting of the survey, analysis of changes to the trip definitions, testing the impact of the new weighting scheme and a review of caps and imputation rules. Changes to the survey methodology and estimation have taken account of a review and advice provided by the Methodology Advisory Service of the Office for National Statistics.
As the statistics are produced using a non-probability online survey method, they are subject to the limitations and potential sources of bias and error associated with such surveys. These include:
- coverage error due to part of the GB population not having online access
- sampling error by using a sample to measure the behaviour of the full GB population
- sample bias by including differences between people with online access and who are online panel members compared to those who are not
- measurement error due to respondents entering incorrect values
- non-response error including survey refusals and drop-outs and the availability of ‘don’t know’ and ‘prefer not to say’ options
The GBDVS data is weighted to correct for any imperfections in the achieved sample that might lead to bias and to rectify any differences between the sample and the target GB population. The survey uses a mix of accredited online panels to mitigate for possible panel specific biases, and the mix of panels is kept consistent over time. Demographic quotas are used to align the sample with the GB population. The survey script and data processing include bespoke checks to verify the accuracy of responses. Imputation is used to cover missing data and caps are used to minimise the impact of extreme values that are entered. Further caps were applied for this revised release, to mitigate the impact of individual trips that were identified as having a disproportionate impact upon the estimated volume of trips and spend. It is not possible to measure standard sample errors due to the non-probability sample being used, but base sizes are reported for eligible trip takers and users are advised to consider and be cautious of small base sizes, particularly for monthly data and lower-level geographies, when drawing inferences from the statistics.
Further details of quality assurance and trip base sizes are provided in the Great Britain Day Visits background quality report 2022.
Relevance
These statistics are used both within and outside the Welsh Government to monitor domestic tourism demand and measure the contribution and impact of domestic tourism on the visitor economy. A key purpose of these statistics is to uncover insights into market trends over time. The estimates released for 2021 will provide insights on the impact of COVID-19 on visitor levels and provide a baseline to measure performance across subsequent years.
As far as possible, the new combined GBTS and GBDVS survey provides consistency with previous information collected, but new questions capture enhanced information on activities undertaken and responder profiles including protected characteristics. It is envisaged that this additional information will be of value for the various users of the survey. The current questionnaire is included in the Great Britain Day Visits background quality report 2022.
The survey sponsors are planning to engage with the priority users of the statistics to check the new survey information meets their needs and we encourage users of the statistics to provide feedback on the data and this output at tourismresearch@gov.wales.
Timeliness and punctuality
All outputs adhere to the Code of Practice by pre-announcing the date of publication through the upcoming calendar. Furthermore, should the need arise to postpone an output this would follow the statement on revisions, errors and postponements. We aim to publish data as soon as possible after the relevant research time period. Disruption to the new combined GBTS and GBDVS survey due to COVID-19 and comprehensive testing and quality assuring of the new statistics have resulted in the reporting of statistics for 2021 and 2022 being later than normal. It is anticipated that future results for Wales will be published on a quarterly basis, to ensure estimates are supported by robust trip base sizes. Specific publication timings will be notified on the Welsh Government website, but the aim is to publish quarterly statistics for Wales approximately 9 to 10 weeks after the end of each quarter.
Further information
A summary of changes made to the GBDVS in 2021 compared to 2019 and previous years
Great Britain Day Visits background quality report 2022
Estimates for domestic overnight tourism in England are available from VisitEngland
Estimates for domestic overnight tourism in Scotland are available from VisitScotland