Report on International Travel Trends (1994-1998)
The first chart illustrates the travel purposes of a 100,000-person survey sample between 1994 and 1998, while the second details their chosen destinations.
Regarding travel purposes, holiday-making was the predominant reason for going abroad throughout the period, starting at approximately 15,500 people in 1994 and rising steadily to just over 20,000 by 1998. Business travel was the second most common purpose, showing a more gradual increase from about 3,200 to 3,600. Visits to friends and relatives (VFR) followed a similar, though slightly lower, upward trend. Conversely, travel for “other” reasons, which was initially the second most cited purpose at around 3,300, experienced a significant decline, falling to roughly 1,000 by 1998.
In terms of destinations, Western Europe was overwhelmingly the most popular choice. Starting from nearly 20,000 visitors in 1994, the figure climbed sharply to approximately 24,000 in 1998. Travel to North America and other areas also increased, but from a much lower base, each attracting between 1,000 and 2,000 travellers by the end of the period.
In summary, the data indicates a clear overall growth in overseas travel during these five years, predominantly driven by holidays, with Western Europe being the favoured destination by a considerable margin.