The Figure ABTA Published
Outbound travel contributes GBP 57 billion a year in gross value added to the UK economy and supports 865,000 jobs, according to research ABTA published on 12 October 2026.
The report is titled 'Outbound Travel - driving jobs and growth across the UK'. ABTA puts the rise in economic contribution since 2019 at 9.6 per cent and the rise in employment at 5.7 per cent over the same period.
ABTA commissioned the report from the economic consultancy York Aviation in September 2026. It launched the report at the start of its Travel Convention in Madeira.
The North East Leads on GVA Share
The North East of England records the greatest contribution as a percentage of all economic activity, at 2.6 per cent of gross value added. ABTA places the region second as a percentage of all employment, at 2.5 per cent of jobs.
The top five regions on GVA are the North East, the East Midlands, the North West, the West Midlands, and Yorkshire and the Humber.
Regions outside London show a higher proportion of overall economic activity from overseas travel than the capital does. ABTA gives the North East 2.6 per cent, with the North West, the West Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber and the East Midlands each at 2.4 per cent.
London Leads on Employment Share
London comes top for employment, with 2.6 per cent of all jobs in the region connected to outbound travel. ABTA lists the North East, the North West, the East of England and the West Midlands behind it at 2.4 per cent each. The same release gives the North East 2.5 per cent of jobs two paragraphs earlier.
ABTA's own report page carries a third reading of the same set. It names London, the North East and the North West at 2.5 per cent of jobs, and states that outbound travel accounts for more than 2 per cent of employment in every part of the UK.
The Policy Asks Behind the Cost Base
ABTA's asks to government cover tax, high street costs and skills.
On air passenger duty, ABTA calls for a freeze for the lifetime of the parliament and the removal of all children from the tax. Its notes to editors record that APD rose to GBP 16 for short-haul economy flights on 1 April 2026.
On business rates, ABTA wants a review for high street retailers. It describes travel businesses as a fixture of the high street whose presence draws customers to other local businesses. Many found their rates went up earlier this year after COVID-era relief was removed and rates were revalued.
On skills, ABTA wants a UK-EU youth experience scheme agreement. It puts the fall in UK nationals taking tourism roles in the EU at 69 per cent since the UK's EU departure. It also asks for a reciprocal EU agreement covering educational travel, with exemptions from digital border regimes so that school trips keep the benefit of the Collective Passport regime.
The remaining asks cover the UK Sustainable Aviation Fuel mandate, which ABTA wants reviewed so first-generation fuels can be used, urgent progress on UK airspace modernisation, and a lower cost of connecting cruise ships to shoreside power with ports prioritised for grid connection.
ABTA states that it holds more than 3,500 travel brands in membership with a combined annual UK turnover of more than GBP 41 billion.
Late Booking and the Consumer Line
Mark Tanzer, chief executive of ABTA, said the geopolitical situation, climate-related events and the wider economy have each changed how people travel and when they book. He described a shift toward booking much closer to departure.
"There is an increasing trend for people to book much closer to departure, sometimes just weeks before, which makes it very challenging for businesses," he said.
ABTA's Holiday Habits report for 2026-27 puts 15 per cent of respondents planning to spend less on holidays next year. The cost of living is the most common reason at 52 per cent, up from 47 per cent a year earlier. ABTA published the full Holiday Habits edition on 13 October 2026.
The release names the conflict in the Middle East, including its effect on fuel availability and prices, climate-related events such as wildfires, and the introduction of Europe's Entry/Exit System among the pressures on the past year.
What the Report Is For
ABTA's stated aim for the report is to show the outbound industry already delivering growth across the nations and regions of the UK. The three policy pillars in the document are a fair and competitive approach to tax, work and learning opportunities, and an industry fit for the future with travel kept affordable.
The full report is published at abta.com/outboundtravel2026.
The Day-Use Lines the Report Does Not Carry
The report carries no day-use line. It states no hourly rate, no daytime window and no part-day revenue figure. The GBP 57 billion total and the 865,000 jobs are annual counts across full-stay travel, and neither names a rate position a daytime operator could sell.
The UK Day-Use Shelf
Dayuse.com publishes its city list in a sitemap. That file carried 10,973 city entries across 44 country paths on 15 October 2026, and 567 of those sit under the united-kingdom path. The platform's hotels sitemap carried 11,878 property pages across 30 country paths, with 1,202 under united-kingdom.
A daytime operator prices part of the same room against the overnight market the report measures. The day-use rate card sits with each property.