Data & insight · Updated August 2026
London Tourism Statistics
How many people visit London, where they come from, what they spend and where they go — the latest official figures for one of the world's most-visited destinations, drawn from the ONS International Passenger Survey, VisitBritain, the GLA and ALVA. Headline numbers are for 2024, the most recent full year.
Inbound visitors
International visitors to London
London drew around 20.9 million international visitors in 2024 — up 3% on 2023 and back to roughly 96% of the pre-pandemic peak. The capital accounts for about 54% of all inbound visits to the UK.
No London-specific inbound figures are published for 2020 and 2021, when international travel collapsed during the pandemic; the chart steps from 2019 to 2022.
Source ONS — International Passenger Survey — 2024 final estimates (official statistics in development), published 26 Aug 2025. London-level figures via VisitBritain
Visitor spending
What international visitors spend
Inbound visitors spent a record £17.3 billion in London in 2024. Note these figures are nominal — with UK inflation of roughly 24% since 2019, real-terms spending remains a little below the pre-pandemic level.
Source VisitBritain — Annual Inbound Update — GB Nations & Regions, Final 2024 estimates.
Source markets
Where London's visitors come from
The United States is comfortably London's biggest source market — bigger than the next two combined — and its visitors also spend the most. Bars show visits in 2024; the muted figure is that market's spend.
Source GLA Economics (Greater London Authority) — Tourism in London: Recent Trends (Feb 2026).
Why they come
Purpose of visit
Holidays and visiting friends or relatives (VFR) together account for three-quarters of trips. VFR reached a record share in 2024, while business travel is still recovering.
- Holiday 41%
- Visiting friends & relatives 34%
- Business 17%
- Miscellaneous 6%
- Study 1%
Source VisitBritain — Annual Inbound Update — GB Nations & Regions, Final 2024 estimates. GB-level split — not London-specific
Seasonality
When they visit
Inbound visitor volumes are spread fairly evenly across the year, with a modest spring–summer peak. Spending is more concentrated: the third quarter (Jul–Sep) is the high point for spend, nights and length of stay.
Source ONS — International Passenger Survey — 2024 final estimates (official statistics in development), published 26 Aug 2025. London quarterly figures, 2024
Attractions
London's most-visited attractions
London is home to 16 of the UK's top 20 visitor attractions. Free national museums dominate the top of the list. Figures are 2024 visitor counts from ALVA members.
Source ALVA — Association of Leading Visitor Attractions — 2024 Visitor Figures (published March 2025).
Accommodation
Hotels & occupancy
London hotels returned to pre-pandemic trading in 2024, helped by the return of conferences and major events. Occupancy averaged around 82% across the year.
Source Knight Frank — UK Hotel Trading Performance Review & Outlook.
Economic impact
Tourism in London's economy
Tourism is a major London employer and export earner. The most-cited London-specific impact figures below come from a 2018 baseline and should be read as indicative rather than current; the UK-wide figures give 2024 scale.
London is the single largest component of UK tourism, generating about 53% of all UK inbound visitor spend — more than the entire rest of England combined.
Source London & Partners — Economic impact baseline (2018 study). 2018 baseline — label the year
Source WTTC / Statista — UK travel & tourism GDP and employment, 2024.
At a glance
Fast facts
- 54% London's share of all UK inbound visits
- 53% London's share of UK inbound spend
- 6.9 nights Avg. length of stay (UK inbound)
- £763 Avg. spend per visit (UK inbound)
- ≈25.2m Projected international visitors by 2030
- 157.2m ALVA member visits, all UK
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many tourists visit London each year?
In 2024 London welcomed around 20.9 million international (inbound) visitors, plus an estimated 15.1 million domestic overnight trips and 189 million day visits from within the UK.
How much do tourists spend in London?
International visitors spent a record £17.3 billion in London in 2024 — up 4% on 2023 and about 10% above the 2019 pre-pandemic level in cash terms.
Which country sends the most visitors to London?
The United States is by far the largest source market, with about 3.75 million visits to London in 2024, ahead of France and Germany.
What is London's most-visited attraction?
The British Museum was the most-visited attraction in 2024 with roughly 6.48 million visitors, narrowly ahead of the Natural History Museum.
When is London's peak tourist season?
The third quarter (July–September) is the peak for inbound spend, nights and length of stay, though visitor volumes are fairly evenly spread across the year.
Notes & sources
Methodology & sources
This page compiles publicly available official statistics. Every chart links to its source above. Key caveats:
- Latest data. Headline figures are for 2024, the most recent full year. 2024 ONS International Passenger Survey estimates are classed as “official statistics in development” and are subject to revision.
- Nominal values. Spending figures are in cash terms and are not adjusted for inflation, so real-terms comparisons with earlier years will be lower.
- Pandemic years. London-specific inbound figures are not published for 2020 and 2021; those years are omitted rather than estimated.
- Geography. Purpose-of-visit and per-visit averages are published at Great Britain / UK level and used here as the best available proxy for London; they are labelled where shown.
- Economic impact. London jobs and GVA figures derive from a 2018 baseline and are indicative, not current.
Primary sources
- ONS — International Passenger Survey — 2024 final estimates (official statistics in development), published 26 Aug 2025.
- VisitBritain — Annual Inbound Update — GB Nations & Regions, Final 2024 estimates.
- GLA Economics (Greater London Authority) — Tourism in London: Recent Trends (Feb 2026).
- ALVA — Association of Leading Visitor Attractions — 2024 Visitor Figures (published March 2025).
- Knight Frank — UK Hotel Trading Performance Review & Outlook.
- London & Partners — Economic impact baseline (2018 study).
- WTTC / Statista — UK travel & tourism GDP and employment, 2024.