UKinbound’s latest Business Barometer Survey suggests that the UK’s inbound tourism industry is on its way back, but supply chain capacity and staffing issues could slow recovery. The association, representing about 300 UK tourism businesses that service international tourists visiting the UK, undertook its latest business barometer member survey in June/July 2022. Conducted by Qa Research, businesses stated that couples and empty nesters were the fastest returning international demographic, closely followed by families. The US market continues to recover the strongest, with more than one in three UK businesses seeing growth from this market. Businesses surveyed included tour operators, accommodation providers, destinations, attractions and service providers from the UK’s inbound tourism industry.

Businesses were also asked what they expect to be their most significant barriers to recovery: supply chain capacity was a leading concern, followed by the recruitment and retention of staff. The UK’s international competitiveness, alongside inflation and energy costs, were also highlighted as concerns.

More details from this survey

• 78% of UK tourism businesses stated that they are confident about the impending 12 months, compared to just 11 per cent in April 2020.
• Nearly a third of inbound tourism businesses are expecting higher revenue levels compared to pre-Covid
• 54% expect international visitor bookings and numbers to be lower than pre-pandemic, while one in five expect them to be higher during this period

Inbound tourism is the UK’s second-largest service export, second only to financial services; it is more significant than UK vehicle exports and oil exports from the North Sea. In 2019 the UK welcomed 40.8 million international visitors, who contributed £28.4 billion to the UK economy.