For the past 10 years, Spain, Greece, and other European cities are famous summer getaways for UK holidaymakers. Spain has been the overall go-to destination for Brits with visits to the country increased by more than half between 2009 and 2019. Based on the same rate of increase, the data suggests there could be a total of 24 million UK visits to the country in 2030, with tourists spending almost GBP19 billion in total.
However, the figures also show new tourist traps emerging, with the most visited destination set to be Hungary in 2050, knocking Spain off the top spot. When it comes to money spent, in 2039, Spain will no longer be the country where Brits spend the most overall. Iceland will take the top spot with Brits predicted to spend GBP39,032,050,815 in total.
Predictions into changing travel habits have identified the countries dubbed as ‘hidden gems’ for UK holidaymakers, with the likes of Egypt, New Zealand and Sri Lanka topping the list.
Practio analysed 10 years of UK travel data from the Office for National Statistics to find emerging trends and forecast habits into the future of travel, as far as 2050. Predictions show that in 2030, there will be an average of 1,610,698 visits by Brits to any country, with the average spend per person in any destination GBP1,014.
The locations where visits are predicted to be lower than the average in 2030, but spend higher than the average have been dubbed ‘hidden gems’ and they include:
| Predicted ‘hidden gems’ in 2030 | ||
| Country | Spend PP | Visits in 2030 |
| Egypt | GBP1,169.30 | 5,694.93 |
| New Zealand | GBP3,506.68 | 36,803.64 |
| Sri Lanka | GBP1,546.06 | 102,190.16 |
| Australia | GBP5,049.03 | 120,618.42 |
| China – Other | GBP1,524.65 | 125,853.95 |
| China – Hong Kong | GBP3,680.09 | 207,048.15 |
| Canada | GBP1,341.77 | 230,873.50 |
| Finland | GBP1,687.09 | 257,946.96 |
| South Africa | GBP2,516.28 | 318,103.87 |
| Barbados | GBP2,042.97 | 328,157.81 |
