The line graph illustrates the number of foreign visitors traveling to the UK for three different purposes—holiday, business, and visiting friends or family—over a 20-year period from 1989 to 2009.
Overall, the number of visitors for all purposes experienced an upward trend throughout the period. Additionally, holidays consistently remained the most common reason for visiting the UK, while visiting relatives was the least popular purpose.
For holidays, the number of visitors was under 6 million in 1989. By 1999, it had nearly reached 10 million, marking the peak of the period. However, in the following years, the number experienced a downward trend, falling to approximately 7.5 million. Despite this decline, holidays remained the most popular purpose for visiting the UK and showed a general increase over the 20-year period.
On the other hand, the numbers for business trips and visits to friends or relatives rose steadily over the years. At the beginning of the period, business trips accounted for nearly 5 million visitors, while visits to friends and relatives stood at 4 million in 1989. Despite this rising trend, both purposes saw a decrease by the end of the period.