Why the UK could fall behind in global tourism

With summer just around the corner, countries across Europe are getting ready for a busy travel season. The UN’s tourism organisation says international visitor numbers could rise by 3 to 5 per cent this year.

This follows a 5 per cent jump in 2024, with 747 million people visiting Europe; even more than the number seen before the pandemic in 2019.

But not every country will see the same boost, and new tariffs introduced by US President Donald Trump in April could change things. The UK may do well in the short term, but there are growing fears that long-term problems could hold it back due to poor government decisions.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) warned earlier this year that, unless the UK changes its approach, the tourism industry, which made £280 billion and supported 4.1 million jobs in 2024, could stop growing and even shrink, costing the economy £60 billion over the next ten years.

WTTC boss Julia Simpson said the UK is expected to have one of the slowest growth rates for international visitors over the next five years.

She warned that the country could fall behind other European countries like Spain, Germany and Italy.

She urged the UK government to fix several issues if it hopes to reach its target of 50 million international visitors by 2030.

Simpson blamed the government for making the UK too expensive for tourists.

She pointed to rising staffing costs due to National Insurance increases, higher VAT on things like hotel stays compared to other countries, and higher Air Passenger Duty charges.

She also said the new ETA visa waiver, which started in April 2025 and costs £10 for all European visitors except those from Ireland – made things worse. Just a week later, the price went up by 60 per cent.

Because of all these extra costs, the World Economic Forum ranked the UK 113th out of 119 countries for price competitiveness in its 2024 Travel & Tourism Development Index.

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