Travel, Transport and Tourism

Travel is a fundamental part of our everyday lives. In 2018, transport consumed the highest proportion of our average weekly household spending, more than housing and fuels costs or spending on food and drink. Since 2010, in terms of employment, tourism has been the fastest growing sector in the UK. And increased public debate about issues such as active travel, air pollution and climate change, as well as rapidly changing technology, have started to change the way we travel – for example the increased interest in electric vehicles or the emergence of private hire services such as Uber and Lyft.

In the Travel, Transport and Tourism team at the Office for Statistics Regulation we are interested in statistics on all modes of travel and transport, transport infrastructure and tourism. Official statistics in this area include: travel patterns and distances travelled using various modes of transport; the use of private and public transport; and international visits to the UK. Travel, transport and tourism statistics are produced at a UK-level, for example by the Department for Transport, the Office for National Statistics and the Office for Rail and Road, and at a regional level, for example by the devolved nations. The statistics are used to inform planning and resource allocations by government, including the devolved administrations, local government, business, and third sector organisations. They are also used by government, the media, charities and other third sector organisations to monitor the success of government policies and targets, for example in the case of road safety statistics.

Current regulatory work:

• Series of compliance checks on road safety statistics produced by the devolved administrations (Transport Scotland, Welsh government, Police Service Northern Ireland and Department for Infrastructure)

You can find details of our recently published regulatory work on travel, transport and tourism statistics below.

If you are interested in any of the topics related to this theme, including as a user or producer of official statistics, then we would love to hear from you.

Contact: Anna Price and Ollie Anand