UK’s over 55s spent more than £17 billion on overseas holidays in 2022.
- Spain is by far the most popular destination for the UK’s over 55s with 4,092,688 visits in 2022
- People aged 55 and older spent more than £3.2 billion on trips to Spain in 2022
- Overall, people aged 55 and older spent £17.2 billion on overseas holidays in 2022
- The number of visits abroad and the amount spent has not fully recovered from pre-pandemic levels but over-50s community Rest Less predicts 2023 will be the year when spend surpasses 2019 levels and 2024 will set new records for overseas trips and holiday spend
- To illustrate the strength of recovery in 2022, there was a 337% increase in the number of overseas trips from people aged 55 and older compared with 2021
Spain is the most popular holiday destination for people aged 55 and older with more than 4 billion visits in 2022 and more than £3 billion spent on Spanish trips by this demographic, according to new analysis from Rest Less, a digital community and advocate for people aged 50 and older.
Table 1: Top 20 most visited countries and spend in 2022 amongst people aged 55+
| Rank | Country | Number of visits from people aged 55+ | Amount spent by people aged 55+ | Average spend per trip for destination |
| 1 | Spain | 4.092,688 | £3.2 billion | £787 |
| 2 | France | 1,861,517 | £1.5 billion | £787 |
| 3 | Canary Islands | 1,299,335 | £1.1 billion | £824 |
| 4 | Greece | 1,165,686 | £1.2 billion | £995 |
| 5 | Portugal | 1,082,447 | £893 million | £824 |
| 6 | Italy | 1,040,558 | £949 million | £912 |
| 7 | Ireland | 789,225 | £346 million | £439 |
| 8 | USA | 776,250 | £1.2 billion | £1,578 |
| 9 | Turkey | 502,115 | £426 million | £849 |
| 10 | Netherlands | 413,554 | £193 million | £466 |
| 11 | Germany | 380,029 | £256 million | £672 |
| 12 | Poland | 262,358 | £164 million | £627 |
| 13 | Croatia | 228,587 | £228 million | £996 |
| 14 | India | 195,115 | £187 million | £961 |
| 15 | Canada | 183,863 | £293 million | £1,593 |
| 16 | Southern Cyprus | 176,049 | £183 million | £1,038 |
| 17 | Malta | 175,121 | £142 million | £813 |
| 18 | Switzerland | 172,881 | £149 million | £859 |
| 19 | United Arab Emirates | 165,969 | £293 million | £1,764 |
| 20 | Austria | 160,820 | £149 million | £929 |
Rest Less analysed a bespoke dataset from the Office of National Statistics Travel Trends Tables. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Rest Less found a stark increase in total travel visits and spend between 2021 and 2022. There was a 337% increase in the number of overseas visits from people aged 55 and older – from 4.2 million in 2021 to 18.4 million in 2023. This resulted in a 354% increase in the amount spent on overseas trips – from £3.8 billion in 2021 to £17.2 billion in 2022.
Table 2: Overseas holiday trippers by age group in 2022
| Age Group | Number of overseas trips in 2022 | £ spent on overseas trips in 2022 | Average spend* per trip |
| 0-15 | 1.7 million | £899 million | £536 |
| 16-24 | 6.7 million | £4.3 billion | £636 |
| 25-34 | 14.8 million | £10.9 billion | £739 |
| 35-44 | 15.1 million | £12.1 billion | £801 |
| 45-54 | 12.3 million | £10.8 billion | £877 |
| 55-64 | 10.7 million | £10 billion | £931 |
| 65+ | 7.6 million | £7.2 billion | £944 |
| Over 55s | 18.4 million | £17.2 billion | £937 |
| Under 55s | 50.8 million | £39 billion | £770 |
In a separate survey, Rest Less polled nearly 2,000 members aged 50+ about their travel habits and found that:
- 77% said holidays were either extremely or very important to them
- 40% said they expected to spend more on their holidays in the next 12 months compared with the last 12 months.
- 55% said they usually exclusively went on holiday during the off-peak season (not school holidays, summer, Easter or Christmas)
- City breaks are the most popular holiday type for Rest Less respondents – 62% have been on a city break in the last two years followed by 58% who have been on a beach holiday
- 24% of respondents said they’d been on four or more holidays in the last 12 months
- 34% said they’d spent at least £5,000 on holidays in the last 12 months
Stuart Lewis, Chief Executive of Rest Less, commented on the findings: “Our latest analysis shows that overseas travel for the UK’s over 55s has almost recovered from the pandemic and we expect 2023 to be the year that it returns to pre-pandemic levels.
‘Travel is a hugely important part of the lives of people aged 55 and older. In our own research, more than three quarters of Rest Less respondents said that travel was very important to them. The pandemic taught us just how fragile life can be and resulted in many midlifers reappraising what they wanted from their lives and careers. We’re now seeing a re-ignited wanderlust to explore and experience new places and cultures.
‘Even in the wake of the cost of living crisis, as our members are cutting back on everyday expenses, 40% of Rest Less respondents said they are expecting to spend more on their holidays in the next 12 months compared with the last – highlighting just how important travel is to this demographic. For those with good health and a long list of must-see places to visit, there is much to make up for during the lost years of covid when they couldn’t travel and a strong desire to live their lives to the fullest.”
CASE STUDY
Sarah Wright is 53 and lives with her partner (aged 67) in Lincolnshire. She works full time as a manager for Banardo’s. Travel has always been important to Sarah and the pandemic meant a number of trips had to be cancelled or postponed. In 2021 during lighter pandemic restrictions, Sarah managed two trips abroad – one city break to Warsaw and a week in Rhodes, spending under £1,500 on both trips. In 2022, she went for a two week break to Thailand, a week in Cyprus and a city break in Rome. Her spend increased significantly to just over £3,300. This year she’s been on three overseas holidays and next year she’s planning for a similar number.
Sarah said “Before Covid, I used to take two breaks a year. Changes in how I work now (flexible and remote working) mean I’m now able to take more holidays. Covid also made me reflect on life’s priorities which in turn led me to do more of what I enjoy – which includes exploring the world.”
-Ends-
Notes to Editors
*Rest Less’s travel habits survey questioned 1877 respondents in September 2023
*ONS provided a bespoke dataset to Rest Less in December 2023 called UK Residents’ Visits & Spending Overseas 2021’ and was taken from the International Passenger Survey
*Spend includes anything spent abroad but not fares
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About Rest Less
Rest Less (restless.co.uk) launched in early 2019 and is a digital community for people in their 50s, 60s and beyond. Rest Less is on a mission to help its members get more out of life and offers content guidance and resources on topics spanning Jobs and Careers, Volunteering, Learning, Money, Health and Lifestyle and Dating.