Things to do on Easter for adults
Just the inspiration you need to decide what to do over Easter weekend. Read more…
Modern devices, despite the reach they grant us, could never replace the intimacy of a face-to-face meeting. For this reason, businesspeople jet off every day to scope out potential growth opportunities for their companies.
Being a business centre, the UK is no stranger to international business travellers. In 2018, there were 6.6 million business trips taken to the UK and 8 million taken from the UK. This shows that there is a high influx of international business travellers travelling to the UK. If you travel for work, find out how business travel insurance can offer you high cover while working abroad.
Quick facts
- In 2018…
- The average length of a business trip from the UK abroad was 5.8 days.
- Spending on business trips to Europe was £2.5 billion compared to £8.9 billion spent on trips to North America.
- Spending on business trips abroad was £4.7 billion compared to £4.4 billion spent on domestic trips.
Inbound vs outbound business trips
There aren’t many trends in the number of inbound and outbound trips from one month to the next. That being said, each month, the number of trips taken out of the UK is greater than the number of trips taken to the UK.
| Month | Outbound trip | Inbound trips |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 18 | 630,000 | 480,000 |
| Feb 18 | 690,000 | 530,000 |
| Mar 18 | 820,000 | 640,000 |
| Apr 18 | 770,000 | 530,000 |
| May 18 | 730,000 | 510,000 |
| Jun 18 | 650,000 | 650,000 |
| Jul 18 | 700,000 | 560,000 |
| Aug 18 | 610,000 | 350,000 |
| Sep 18 | 770,000 | 620,000 |
| Oct 18 | 760,000 | 740,000 |
| Nov 18 | 800,000 | 580,000 |
| Dec 18 | 580,000 | 400,000 |
The average number of outbound business trips is 710,000 per month compared to an average of 550,000 inbound trips per month. The greatest difference in the number of inbound and outbound trips was in August 2018 when there were 260,000 more outbound trips than there were inbound trips.
Which countries are inbound business travellers coming from?
| Country | Number of visits |
|---|---|
| Poland | 830,000 |
| Germany | 800,000 |
| France | 740,000 |
| Netherlands | 570,000 |
| Republic of Ireland | 540,000 |
| Romania | 490,000 |
| Spain | 400,000 |
| Italy | 350,000 |
| Belgium | 240,000 |
| Hungary | 180,000 |
| Switzerland | 180,000 |
| Sweden | 160,000 |
| Norway | 150,000 |
| Czech Republic | 140,000 |
Each of the top countries from which businesspeople are travelling from are European. Of these countries, most inbound business travellers are coming from Poland. The 830,000 travellers from Poland are closely followed by 800,000 German travellers and 740,000 French travellers.
Domestic business trips
Over time, the spend per night and per trip on domestic business trips has increased.
| Year | Trip length | Spend per night | Spend per trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 2.16 days | £109 | £235 |
| 2015 | 2.13 days | £110 | £234 |
| 2016 | 2.28 days | £109 | £249 |
| 2017 | 2.35 days | £110 | £259 |
| 2018 | 2.18 days | £123 | £267 |
| 2019 | 2.28 days | £136 | £309 |
The year with the highest average per-night spend was 2019, with an average of £136 spent per night. The same year saw the highest average overall domestic business trip spend, with an average of £309 spent overall per business trip.
The greatest increase in the average per-night spend on domestic business trips was 12% between 2017 and 2018. The greatest increase in the average per-trip spend was 16% between 2018 and 2019.
According to these stats, the average trip length was the greatest in 2017. In this year, trips averaged almost 2-and-a-half (2.35) days
Sources
Office for National Statistics
VisitEngland
VisitEngland
Click here for more research. For all media enquiries, please contact:
Matt Mckenna
UK communications manager
T: +44 20 8191 8806
UK communications manager
T: +44 20 8191 8806
Related articles
11 cheap Easter breaks around the UK
Make this Easter egg-stra special when you book a low-cost, family-friendly getaway. Read more…
Easter activities for kids in London
A guide to keeping the kids entertained over the Easter holidays. Read more…
Daybreak Hotels discount codes and promos February 2020
See if you can get your next Daybreak Hotels order for less with our hand-tested vouchers and promo codes. Read more…
Where to book Iceland holiday packages
Whether you’re looking to take a road trip around the golden circle, catch the Northern Lights or enjoy a long weekend in Reykjavik, these Iceland holiday deals will help you do it for less. Read more…
Sites like Secret Escapes to find luxe stays for less
This is where to find a bargain on luxury accommodation and holiday packages around the world. Read more…
