The number of people travelling abroad last summer slumped by 76% to 6.1 million over the same period in pre-pandemic 2019.
New data released by the Office for National Statistics reflects the damage Covid-19 restrictions had on both outbound and inbound travel in the peak July to September period.
Spending by UK residents on visits abroad dropped by 78% to £4.9 billion over the equivalent quarter in 2019.
The largest number of visits was made to Europe at 5.4 million, a fall of 73%.
ONS said: ‘Business visits were the least likely reason for UK residents’ visits abroad.
“In quarter 3 2021, there were just 248,000 business trips. Holidays were the most common reason for travelling, accounting for 52% of all visits (3.1 million).”
Inbound trips by air to the UK fell by 86% to just 1.3 million last summer as travel continued to be restricted because of coronavirus. Spending by travellers to the UK was down 87% to £1.2 billion.
Similar levels of decrease were seen for all areas of the world, according to ONS.