The provided data illustrates the trends in UK residents' travel abroad between 1994 and 1998, categorised by the purpose of the visit and the destination.
Overall, the total number of visits abroad by UK residents increased steadily over the period, with holidays consistently being the primary purpose for travel and Western Europe remaining the most popular destination.
Regarding the purpose of visits, holidays dominated the figures, rising from 15,246 in 1994 to a peak of 20,700 in 1998. Business travel also saw a consistent upward trend, growing from 3,155 to 3,957 over the five years. Visits to friends and relatives followed a similar pattern, increasing from 2,689 to 3,181. Conversely, 'other reasons' remained relatively stable, fluctuating slightly before ending at 990 in 1998.
In terms of destinations, Western Europe was the most favoured region, with visitor numbers climbing from 19,000 in 1994 to 24,500 by 1998. North America and other areas saw more modest growth; North American visits more than doubled from 1,000 to 2,100, while visits to other areas rose from 2,000 to 2,600. Throughout the period, Western Europe accounted for the vast majority of all outbound travel from the UK.