FOI reference: FOI-2025-2862
You asked
I am writing under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request data relating to UK citizens moving abroad temporarily during the winter months.
Specifically, I would like to request:
1. Any available data from 2022 to 2025 estimating the number of UK citizens emigrating temporarily (less than 12 months) between October and March each year.
2. If available, a breakdown of these emigrations by reason for travel (e.g. work, leisure, retirement) and destination country or region.
3. Whether this data is derived from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) or other sources.
4. Any reports, studies, or documents already existing surrounding the topic.
We said
Thank you for your request.
We hold information on Overseas Travel and Tourism and these bulletins provide estimates of UK residents travelling overseas for periods of less than 12 months. This includes all short-term travel abroad, not just emigration. Travel during the period October to March is reflected in our Quarter 4 (Oct--Dec) and Quarter 1 (Jan--Mar) estimates, which are published alongside our quarterly bulletins.
Data up to and including Quarter 2 2024 is based solely on the International Passenger Survey (IPS). From Quarter 3 2024 onwards, we have introduced a new methodology that combines IPS data with additional sources such as the Great British Tourism Survey.
We also publish breakdowns by purpose of visit, including:
- Holiday (all)
- Holiday (inclusive tour)
- Business
- Visiting friends or relatives
- Miscellaneous
- All purposes
We have now published provisional estimates for Quarter 3 (July--Sept) and Quarter 4 (Oct--Dec) 2024 on the ONS website: Overseas travel and tourism, provisional: July to September and October to December 2024. These are released as official statistics in development while we continue to refine and quality assure our new methods. These estimates are subject to change as further improvements are introduced. More information on these changes are available in our Improving our travel and tourism statistics: June 2025 update.