The line graph illustrates the amount of money spent by overseas visitors in the UK between 1980 and 2010, while the pie charts compare the purposes of their visits in 1980 and 2010.
Overall, spending by foreign visitors fluctuated over the period but showed an upward trend, reaching its highest point in the mid-1990s. In terms of travel purposes, holidays remained the most common reason for visiting the UK, although their share declined, while visits to friends and relatives became considerably more popular.
In 1980, overseas visitors spent approximately £8 billion in the UK. This figure fell to around £7 billion in 1982 before rising steadily to about £10 billion by 1990. After a slight decline in the early 1990s, expenditure increased sharply and peaked at roughly £12 billion in 1996. It then dropped to just under £10 billion in 2002, recovered to nearly £12 billion in 2006, and finally ended the period at around £11 billion in 2010.
Regarding the reasons for travel, holidays accounted for the largest proportion of visits in both years, although the percentage fell from 44.1% in 1980 to 39.1% in 2010. Business travel increased slightly from 20.7% to 22.8%. The most notable growth was seen in visits to friends and relatives, which rose from 18.7% to 28.2%, making it the second most common purpose by 2010. By contrast, the proportion of visitors travelling for other reasons declined significantly, from 16.6% to 9.8%.