Britons made three million fewer trips abroad in 2010 than in 2009, but Turkey and Tunisia’s UK visitor numbers increased.
Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show the outbound market decreased by 5.2% from 58.6 million in 2009 to 55.6 million in 2010.
But some non-eurozone countries saw an increase in UK visitors, with Turkey and Tunisia reporting rises of 11.9% and 15.9% respectively.
The volcanic ash chaos last summer contributed to a 13.1% drop in outbound air travel between April and June, compared with the same period last year.
However trips abroad by sea increased by 17.3% during that period, according to the ONS’s Travel Trends report (pdf).
The second half of the year was steadier, with visits abroad falling by less than 2% year on year.
Spain remained the most visited country, attracting 10.4 million UK travellers. Turkey rose from 10th to eight place with 1.8 million visits.
Fewer Britons visited eurozone countries, with Spain, Italy, Greece and Cyprus all suffering drops in UK arrivals of more than 10%.
UK travellers’ top 10 destinations in 2010
- Spain
- France
- US
- Republic of Ireland
- Italy
- Germany
- Portugal
- Turkey
- Netherlands
- Greece