Domestic GB Tourism Statistics (day trips in Wales): October to December 2023

The statistics in this release are based on a new combined online survey that replaces the separate Great Britain Tourism Survey and Great Britain Day Visits Survey that ran until the end of 2019. Further information is provided in the methodology and quality section of this publication on changes to the survey that limit comparability with the published estimates for 2019 and previous years, for further information see the section on comparability and coherence.

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 from October to December 2023. This report also includes estimates covering the period January to December 2023. 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.

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 from 2021 onwards have been published and are comparable with the results in this release. Changes in expenditure should be considered in light of increased costs, as these estimates have not been adjusted for inflation.

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.

Detailed results for England and Scotland are being published by VisitEngland and VisitScotland.

Wales trips 

• Between October and December 2023, Great Britain (GB) residents took 40.31 million leisure day trips lasting 3 hours or more in Wales with £1.51 billion spent during these trips. 
• 40% of leisure day trips taken in Wales were tourism day trips, with 16.00 million trips taken from October to December 2023, with an associated spend of £665 million.
• From January to December 2023, GB residents took 167.77 million leisure day trips lasting 3 hours or more in Wales with £5.43 billion spent during these trips.
• 35% of leisure day trips taken in Wales were tourism day trips with 59.25 million tourism day trips taken from January to December 2023, with an associated spend of £2.48 billion.
• From January to December 2023, approximately 6% of GB leisure day trips of 3 hours or more and 5% of tourism day trips included a visit in Wales. During the same period, the share of total GB spend was 5% for both leisure day trips of 3 hours or more and tourism day trips. 
• Compared to the same period in 2022, the volume of leisure day trips of 3 hours or more taken in Wales from January to December 2023 was 7% lower, whilst the volume of tourism day trips taken was 4% lower. 
• The average expenditure on leisure day trips of 3 hours or more was £32 compared to £42 for tourism day trips taken in Wales.
• Compared to the same period in 2022, the volume of leisure day trips of 3 hours or more taken in GB from January to December was 6% higher, whilst the volume of tourism day trips was 7% higher.

Great Britain trips 

• Between October and December 2023, Great Britain (GB) residents took 744.43 million leisure day trips lasting 3 hours or more in GB with £31.10 billion spent during these trips.
• 42% of leisure day trips taken in GB were tourism day trips with 315.52 million tourism day trips taken between October and December 2023, with an associated spend of £15.03 billion.
• From January to December 2023, GB residents took 2.96 billion leisure day trips lasting 3 hours or more in GB with £109.10 billion spent during these trips.
• 39% of leisure day trips taken in GB were tourism day trips with 1.16 billion tourism day trips taken from January to December 2023, with an associated spend of £50.78 billion.
• The average expenditure on leisure day trips of 3 hours or more was £37 compared to £44 for tourism day trips taken in GB.

Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), January to December 2023

[Note 1] Percentages do not sum to 100% as some leisure day trips included visits to more than one nation.

Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), January to December 2023

[Note 1] Percentages do not sum to 100% as some tourism day trips included visits to more than one nation.

From January to December 2023, there were 2.96 billion leisure day trips of 3 hours or more taken in GB by British residents with a total expenditure of £109.10 billion. During the same period there were 167.77 million leisure day trips of 3 hours or more taken in Wales with a total expenditure of £5.43 billion. Approximately 6% of all leisure day trips of 3 hours or more by British residents were taken in Wales, compared to 86% taken in England and 10% taken in Scotland. The share of total spend in Wales was 5%.

There were 1.16 billion tourism day trips taken in GB by British residents in 2023, with a total expenditure of £50.78 billion. During the same period there were 59.25 million tourism day trips taken in Wales with a spend of £2.48 billion. Tourism day trips accounted for 35% of leisure day trips of 3 hours or more taken in Wales and 46% of expenditure.

Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), January to December 2023

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 £32 on leisure day trips of 3 hours or more, whereas average spend for tourism day trips is £42. 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 leisure day trips of 3 hours or more taken in Wales from January to December 2023 was higher than during the same period in 2022, which saw an average spend of £30 per trip for leisure day trips of 3 hours or more taken in Wales. Similarly, average expenditure on tourism day trips taken in Wales was higher in 2023, compared to 2022, when the average spend per trip for tourism day trips taken in Wales was £38. Changes in expenditure should be considered in light of increased costs, as these estimates have not been adjusted for inflation.

Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), January to December 2023

Figure 1: Proportion of 3 hours or more leisure day trips in Great Britain and Wales by main activity undertaken, January to December 2023

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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), January to December 2023

Visiting friends and relatives comprised 32% of trips taken in Wales and 34% of trips taken 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, with 13% of trips taken in Wales featuring this as their main activity. Taking part in hobbies and interests was the next most popular main activity, both for trips taken in Wales and in GB.

From January to December 2023, there have been increases in the volumes of trips taken across GB for all activities, except taking part in sports and outdoor leisure activities, which decreased by 5%, compared to 2022. This contrasts with Wales, where trip volumes for some activities decreased, such as visiting friends and relatives, which decreased by 13%, compared to 2022. The largest decreases in the volumes of trips taken in Wales were for food and drink, a night out or speciality shopping (by 19%), taking part in a health or wellbeing experience (by 20%), and going to a visitor attraction (by 27%). However, both Wales and GB saw increases in the volume of trips taken where the main activity undertaken was taking part in hobbies and interests in 2023, compared to 2022.

Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), January to December 2023

[Note 1] Low base sizes for 'Took part in a health or wellbeing experience' and 'Took part in leisure activities not mentioned above' - data should be treated with caution.

Figure 2: Proportion of tourism day trips in Great Britain and Wales by main activity undertaken, January to December 2023

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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.

Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), January to December 2023

Visiting friends and relatives comprised 26% of trips taken across GB and 21% of trips taken in Wales. Going to a visitor attraction was the second most popular activity on tourism day trips, both for trips taken in Wales and across GB, with 15% of trips in Wales featuring this as their main activity. Sightseeing and exploring areas was the next most popular main activity for Wales, undertaken on 12% of trips taken in Wales, whereas food and drink, a night out or speciality shopping was the third most popular activity for GB trips.

From January to December 2023, trip volumes for most activities increased compared to the 2022, for both tourism day trips taken in Wales and tourism day trips taken across GB. However, there were decreases in trip volumes for visits to friends and relatives, taking part in a health or wellbeing experience, and food and drink, a night out or speciality shopping, for both trips taken in Wales and across GB. These decreases were larger for trips taken in Wales than for trips taken across GB as a whole. Additionally, there was a decrease in the volume of trips taken in Wales to see a visitor attraction, and a decrease in trips taken across GB for taking part in sports and outdoor leisure activities.

This section 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, January to December 2023 [Note 1]

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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), January to December 2023

[Note 1] The numbers within the coloured segments are the number of tourism day trips taken to each main location in millions. For instance, from January to December 2023, there were 13.26 million tourism day trips to a countryside/village location taken in Wales.

Just under 6 in 10 tourism day trips taken in Wales were to urban destinations. A higher proportion of tourism trips taken in Wales were to the seaside and coastal areas, but a lower proportion were taken to large cities and towns, compared to the whole of GB. The proportion of trips taken to the seaside and coastal areas remained largely stable in 2023, compared to 2022, for both trips taken in Wales and across GB as a whole. Additionally, the proportion of trips taken to small towns decreased in 2023, for both trips taken in Wales and across GB. However, a higher proportion of trips in GB were taken to large cities and towns in 2023, compared to 2022. The proportion of trips in Wales to large cities and towns remained largely stable. A slightly higher proportion of trips in Wales were taken to countryside and village destinations in 2023, compared to 2022. The proportion of trips across GB to countryside and village destinations remained largely stable.

The average spend per trip was notably higher for tourism day trips taken in large cities and towns in Wales (£50) compared to an average of £42 across all types of destination in Wales.

Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), January to December 2023

[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 in 2023. Most of the remaining trips to Wales were generated by residents of England. Proportions of trips to Wales from each of the GB nations has remained stable in 2023, compared to 2022. Of the residents of England who visited Wales in 2022, the majority resided in North West England, the West Midlands, South West England, or London. The proportion of expenditure generated by residents of Wales in 2023 was closely aligned to the proportion of trips taken, with 55% of the total expenditure on tourism day trips generated by residents of Wales.

Figure 4: Volume and proportion of tourism day trips in Great Britain and Wales by age group, January to December 2023 [Note 1]

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Description of Figure 4: 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 to 34 year olds were the largest age group.

Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), January to December 2023

Note 1] The numbers within the coloured segments are the number of tourism day trips taken by each age group in millions. For instance, from January to December 2023, visitors aged 45 to 54 took 8.06 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.

Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), January to December 2023

Figure 5: Volume of 3 hours or more leisure day trips to Great Britain by quarter of visit in millions, January to December, 2022 and 2023

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Description of Figure 5: A column chart showing that from October to December 2023, the volume of leisure day visits of 3 hours or more taken in GB was slightly lower than during the same period in 2022, in contrast to the rest of 2023, where quarterly volumes were higher than in 2022.

Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), January to December 2022 and 2023

The volume of leisure day visits lasting 3 hours or more taken in GB during the fourth quarter of 2023 was 1% lower compared to the fourth quarter of 2022, while expenditure was 21% higher. Trip volumes for the period January to December 2023 were 6% higher than during the same period in 2022, and expenditure was 14% higher. The volume of trips taken during the fourth quarter of 2023 was lower than trip volumes for the second and third quarter, but expenditure during the fourth quarter was the highest in 2023.

Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), January to December 2023

Figure 6: Volume of 3 hours or more leisure day trips to Wales by quarter of visit in millions, January to December, 2022 and 2023

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Description of Figure 6: A column chart showing that the volume of leisure day visits of 3 hours or more taken in Wales from October to December was lower in 2023 compared to 2022, continuing the trend from April to June 2023.

Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), January to December 2022 and 2023

The volume of leisure day visits of 3 hours or more taken in Wales during the fourth quarter of 2023 was 1% lower compared to the fourth quarter of 2022, while expenditure remained stable. However, trip volumes for the period January to December 2023 were 7% lower than during the same period in 2022, and expenditure was 1% lower. The volume of trips taken during the fourth quarter of 2023 was the lowest quarterly volume in 2023, and lower than any quarterly volumes in 2022. However, when comparing quarterly figures across 2022 and 2023, decreases in volume were greater in the second and third quarters of 2023, compared to the fourth quarter of 2023. The fourth quarter of 2023 also saw a similar decrease in trip volume across GB as a whole (see Figure 5).

Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), January to December 2023

Figure 7: Volume of tourism day trips to Great Britain by quarter of visit in millions, January to December, 2022 and 2023

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Description of Figure 7: A column chart showing that, compared to 2022, quarterly volumes of tourism day trips taken in GB were higher during the first six months of 2023, while from July to December, quarterly volumes for 2023 were broadly in line with quarterly volumes for 2022.

Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), January to December 2022 and 2023

The volume of tourism day trips taken in GB during the fourth quarter of 2023 was 1% higher compared to the fourth quarter of 2022, while expenditure was 20% higher. However, trip volumes for the period January to December 2023 were 7% higher than during the same period in 2022, and expenditure was 13% higher. Trip volumes and expenditure during the fourth quarter of 2023 were the highest in 2023.

Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), January to December 2023

Figure 8: Volume of tourism day trips to Wales by quarter of visit in millions, January to December, 2022 and 2023

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Description of Figure 8: A column chart showing that quarterly volumes of tourism day trips taken in Wales were higher in the second and fourth quarters of 2023, compared to 2022, whereas during the first and third quarters, they were lower.

Source: Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS), January to December 2022 and 2023

The volume of tourism day trips taken in Wales during the fourth quarter of 2023 was 4% higher compared to the fourth quarter of 2022, while expenditure remained stable. However, trip volumes for the period January to December were 4% lower compared to the same period in 2022, while expenditure was 5% higher. Trip volumes and expenditure during the fourth quarter of 2023 were lower than the second quarter, but higher than the first and third quarters of the year. Quarterly trip volumes to Wales in 2023 contrast with trip volumes across GB, which have increased consecutively throughout the year (see Figure 7). In contrast, April to June saw the highest volume of trips to Wales, followed by a drop during the period July to September, then rising again during the final quarter of 2023.

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 2023 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 this quarter started in England and Wales in October 2023 and the number of interviews achieved for the period October to December 2023 is 7,479 interviews for GB residents including 966 interviews with Welsh residents. Not every person who is interviewed will have taken an eligible day trip and so the base sizes of eligible trips taken used for trip estimation are lower than the number of interviews.

Further base sizes will be provided for 2023 in the GBDVS Background Quality Report 2023, which will be published in 2024.

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 have introduced 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 will be made available in the GBDVS Background Quality Report 2023. Further information is also available in the GBDVS 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 from 2021 onwards 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. Users are advised to be aware of these limitations when making monthly or quarterly comparisons.

Accuracy

The statistics produced from the Great Britain Day Visits Survey 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, 2022 and 2023 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. 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 for 2023 will be provided in the GBDVS Background Quality Report 2023. Further information is also available in the GBDVS 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 2023 will provide insights on visitor levels and to measure performance and understand visitor trends.

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 GBDVS 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, 2022 and 2023 being later than normal. 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.

Estimates for domestic day trips in Wales from July to September 2023

Estimates for domestic day trips in Wales from April to June 2023

Estimates for domestic day trips in Wales from January to March 2023

Estimates for domestic day trips in Wales in 2022

A summary of changes made to the GBDVS survey in 2021 compared to 2019 and previous years

Estimates for domestic day trips in England are available from VisitEngland

Estimates for domestic day trips in Scotland are available from VisitScotland

Statistician: Siân Hughes
Email: tourismresearch@gov.wales

Media: 0300 025 8099

SFR 17/2024