Within the framework of MEDUSA’s research into adventure tourism development, our researchers lead a research study of market demand, supply and competitiveness, analyzing multiple fields from a socio-economic, political, and environmental perspective in the following countries: France, Germany, Norway, United Kingdom, United States of America.

Each country presents some insights for MEDUSA project which will be analyzed during the course of these publications.

The British tourism industry is composed of both public and private entities and organizations. The private sector has small- and medium-sized enterprises (car rentals, accommodation, travel agencies, and so on), and larger companies like airlines, hotel chains, as well as destination management organizations that operate at both the local and regional levels.

In 2016, 33% of surveyed tourists from the United Kingdom made their holidays within the UK, while 50% visited other EU countries. In 2018, UK residents took just under 71 million trips abroad. For residents, domestic travel within the UK is easy, as the UK has 40 international and domestic airports, with six in the London area alone. Heathrow is the largest and busiest airport in the UK, hosting most major airlines from around the world and receiving direct flights from almost every major city.

There are over 620 weekly direct flights from various UK hubs to the airports in MEDUSA countries, allowing for ample opportunities for UK citizens to visit MEDUSA countries while also giving travelers the option to choose from a range of different companies and different price ranges, from budget flights to expensive first class experiences.

Regarding MEDUSA countries, the UNWTO report for outbound tourism from the UK indicates that Spain and Italy are among the top five outbound countries. Although Spain is showing a decrease in British visitor ship. Tunisia shows a large increase, growing more than 457%, while Lebanon (10.17%) and Jordan (20.96%) are growing more slowly, albeit faster than the five top countries.

British tourists present a very heterogeneous profile, with preferences for the sun and the beach prevalent. Despite this, active nature tourism, cultural activities and food and wine are gaining more and more of the market share.

The largest group of British tourists are concentrated in the age range of 35 to 44, representing 19.75% of the total, and they are closely followed by the groups of 25 to 34 and 45 to 54, making up 19% and 17.85% respectively.

75% of British tourists who traveled abroad in 2018 travelled to Europe, while 25% traveled to developing countries for their adventure travels, such as Turkey and Thailand. 65.6% of trips abroad had vacations as the main factor for British travelers.

The main motivations for holiday travel are getting some sun and going to the beach (44%), visits to friends or family (45%), nature breaks (23%), city tourism (22%) and cultural tourism (26%). The main activities of British travelers include hiking, appreciating nature, ornithology (birdwatching) and to a lesser extent, botanical tourism. British travelers are also enthusiastic about open air activities while abroad, which include walking tours and visits to heritage sites such as ancient ruins. 

According to UNWTO, the United Kingdom is the largest adventure tourism market in Europe, with 19% of the world’s adventure travel tourists, making it a perfect market for the MEDUSA Project. The UK has potential to increase the number of visitors to partner countries, due to the large niche of consumers interested in slow tourism, active tourism, cycle tourism, ecotourism, etc...