The data provided illustrates the total expenditure of foreign visitors in the UK during 1980 to 2010, along with the most common reasons for their visit at the beginning and end of the same period of time.
At first glance, the annual expenditure of guests within the UK fluctuated wildly within the 30 year period. Reaching highs of 12 billion pounds and lows below 7.5 billion pounds all within nearly 20 years. However the was growth in the annual expenditure which started at just above 7.5 billion in 1980 and ending barely above 10.5 billion in 2010. Contrastingly the reasons for visiting the UK has remained relatively unchanged within this period.
The most significant drop in money spent in the UK within the study period was observed around 1982 when the annual expenditure by visitors dropped to about 7.3 billion. This number steadily grew to above 9 billion before 1985 with only one dip below it approximately in 1993. After which the UK experienced a significant jump in tourist expenditure between 1990 to 2000 reaching an apex of 12 billion around 1996. After which the number fluctuated reaching a second apex just below 12 billion before finishing at just above 10.5 billion at the end of the study in 2010.
Overall the reasons for visit in 1980 and 2010 remained relatively unvaried with holiday visits the overwhelming majority in both years with 44.1% and 39.1% respectively. The most signifcant increase was observed in the number of travellers to the UK with the purpose of visiting friends or relatives with the number jumping from 18.7% to 28.2% by 2010. Similarly the largest decrease was observed within the non-specific category of other, observing a significant drop from 16.6% to 9.8%. While business visits remained relatively unchanged only increasing by a net 2.1% in this period.