UK Visitor Attractions Market Report 2022
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Description
“Despite the rising cost of living, and subsequent squeeze on disposable incomes, visitor attractions remain a popular pastime for many. The end of COVID-19 restrictions and improved consumer confidence in visiting cities and their popular attractions has seen the size of the market return to close to its pre-pandemic level in 2022. However, looking forward, operators of paid attractions will need to highlight money-saving initiatives to sustain broad appeal. Such strategies should include signposting communal picnic areas, as well as promoting discounts for families and concessions.”
– Jennie Bryans, Leisure & Travel Analyst, December 2022
Key issues covered in this Report
- The impact of the cost-of-living crisis on visitor attractions.
- How the visitor attractions market is recovering from the negative effects of COVID-19.
- Participation and future interest in visiting different types of attractions.
- Consumer perceptions of different visitor attractions.
- Future opportunities in the visitor attractions market, including how the sector can better utilise new technology.
Table of Contents
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Overview
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- Key issues covered in this Report
- Products covered in this Report
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Executive Summary
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- The five-year outlook for visitor attractions
- Figure 1: Category outlook, 2022-27
- The market
- Market closing in on pre-pandemic levels
- Figure 2: Market size for UK visitor attractions, 2017-22
- Volume expected to fully recover in 2023
- Figure 3: Market forecast for visits to UK visitor attractions, 2017-27
- Historic properties and gardens come out on top
- Figure 4: Attraction admission trends in England, 2017-21
- Companies and brands
- Battersea Power Station reopens following a £9 billion redevelopment project
- Guinness visitor attraction to open in London
- Eden Project North gains planning permission
- Game of Thrones Studio Tour opens
- The consumer
- Attraction visiting increases but remains below pre-pandemic levels
- Figure 5: Percentage of UK adults who visited attractions in the previous 12 months, 2017-22
- Cities are still the most visited locations for attractions
- Figure 6: Locations of attractions visited in the previous 12 months, 2021 and 2022
- Gardens remain most visited attraction…
- …but historic buildings and museums recovered well in 2022
- Figure 7: Type of attractions visited in the previous 12 months, 2019, 2021 and 2022
- Eight in 10 likely to visit an attraction over the next year
- Figure 8: Interest in visiting attraction types in the next 12 months, 2022
- Price is overarching barrier to visiting an attraction
- Figure 9: Barriers to visiting attractions, 2022
- Price is deemed the overarching factor when choosing attractions
- Figure 10: Important factors when choosing a visitor attraction, 2022
- Opportunity for operators to upsell
- Figure 11: Attitudes towards visitor attractions, 2022
- Operators should explore virtual queuing systems
- Figure 12: Attitudes towards visitor attractions, 2022
- Theme parks deemed to be fun but expensive
- Zoos are popular with families, but ethical credentials in contention
- Figure 13: Correspondence analysis of perceptions of visitor attractions, 2022
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Issues and Insights
- Rising cost of living will squeeze discretionary spending
- Garden attractions can tap into wider green-fingered trends
- Opportunity for VR to reach new heights in the attractions market
- Rising cost of living will squeeze discretionary spending
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Market Size and Performance
- Market closing in on pre-pandemic levels
- Figure 14: Market size for UK visitor attractions, 2017-22
- Market closing in on pre-pandemic levels
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Market Forecast
- Visitor attractions recovering well from the impacts of the pandemic
- Figure 15: Category outlook, 2022-27
- Volume expected to fully recover in 2023
- Figure 16: Market forecast for visits to UK visitor attractions, 2017-27
- Learnings from the last income squeeze
- Forecast methodology
- Visitor attractions recovering well from the impacts of the pandemic
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Market Segmentation
- Historic properties and gardens come out on top
- Figure 17: Attraction admission trends in England, 2017-21
- Windsor Great Park comes out on top for the first time
- Figure 18: Top 20 UK visitor attractions, 2021
- Figure 19: Image of Windsor Great Park, 2022
- Historic properties and gardens come out on top
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Market Drivers
- Inflation is the key concern for consumers and brands…
- …leading to consumer spending power being curbed
- Consumers’ financial wellbeing has fallen from the highs of 2021
- Figure 20: Household financial wellbeing index, 2016-22
- 2022 presented both challenges and opportunities for the domestic market
- Figure 21: Volume and value of domestic holidays taken by British residents, 2015-22
- Warmer weather increases the appeal of the UK as a domestic holiday destination
- Figure 22: UK mean temperature in °C, by quarter, 2013-22
- A weaker pound expected to encourage more international tourists
- Inflation is the key concern for consumers and brands…
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Launch Activity and Innovation
- Launch activity at London’s attractions
- Battersea Power Station reopens following a £9 billion redevelopment project
- The View from the River
- Museum of London prepares to move to new home
- MSG Sphere gets green light
- Guinness visitor attraction to open in London
- Museum operators embracing VR
- Climb the Cutty Sark
- Launch activity in the rest of the UK
- Eden Project North gains planning permission
- OTHERWORLD VR continues expansion
- Wake the Tiger opens in Bristol
- Game of Thrones Studio Tour opens
- Eureka! Science + Discovery Centre opens its doors
- Launch activity at London’s attractions
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Attraction Visiting in the Last 12 Months
- Attraction visiting increases, but remains below pre-pandemic levels
- Figure 23: Percentage of UK adults who visited attractions in the previous 12 months, 2017-22
- Older consumers remain wary about exposure to COVID-19
- Figure 24: Percentage of UK adults who visited attractions in the previous 12 months, by demographics, 2022
- Cities are still the most visited locations for attractions
- Figure 25: Locations of attractions visited in the previous 12 months, 2021 and 2022
- Attraction visiting increases, but remains below pre-pandemic levels
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Types of Attraction Visited
- Gardens remain most visited attraction…
- …but historic buildings and museums recovered well in 2022
- Figure 26: Type of attractions visited in the previous 12 months, 2019, 2021 and 2022
- Older women enjoy visiting gardens
- Younger men more likely to visit a factory tour
- Theme parks, zoos and aquariums remain popular activities for families
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- Figure 27: Type of attractions visited in the previous 12 months, by parental status, 2022
- Gardens remain most visited attraction…
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Future Interest in Visiting Attractions
- Eight in 10 likely to visit an attraction over the next year
- Figure 28: Interest in visiting attraction types in the next 12 months, 2022
- Gen Zs more likely to be thrill seekers…
- Figure 29: Thorpe Park homepage, November 2022
- …whilst older generations take a more leisurely approach to visitor attractions
- Figure 30: Interest in visiting attraction types in the next 12 months, by generation, 2022
- Lower-income households put off by expensive entry costs
- Eight in 10 likely to visit an attraction over the next year
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Barriers to Visiting Attractions
- Price is overarching barrier to visiting an attraction
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- Figure 31: Barriers to visiting attractions, 2022
- Single city dwellers struggle to find companions to visit attractions with
- Families struggle with cost of attractions
- Price is overarching barrier to visiting an attraction
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Important Factors when Choosing Visitor Attractions
- Price is deemed the overarching factor when choosing attractions
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- Figure 32: Important factors when choosing a visitor attraction, 2022
- Accessibility is also a high priority for consumers
- Younger consumers keen for flexibility and online booking
- Figure 33: Important factors when choosing a visitor attraction, by age, 2022
- Attractions with appealing pricing and accessible locations will interest the vast majority
- Figure 34: TURF Analysis – Visitor attractions, 2022
- Price is deemed the overarching factor when choosing attractions
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Visitor Attractions and Pricing Preferences
- Eight in 10 more likely to visit free attractions
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- Figure 35: Attitudes towards visitor attractions, 2022
- Opportunity for operators to upsell
- Parents keen for convenience
- Figure 36: Attitudes towards ‘I would pay more for extras at UK visitor attractions (eg queue skipping, exclusive tours)’, by demographics, 2022
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- Figure 37: Alton Towers Fastrack options, 2022
- Eight in 10 more likely to visit free attractions
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Visitor Attractions and Technology
- Operators should explore virtual queuing systems
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- Figure 38: Attitudes towards visitor attractions, 2022
- Large proportion of consumers experiencing digital fatigue
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- Figure 39: Attitudes towards ‘I would be interested in attending an event using virtual reality (VR)’, by age and gender, 2022
- Figure 40: Attitudes towards ‘I would be interested in paying to live stream an event held by a UK visitor attraction (eg behind the scenes tour, exhibition)’, by age and gender, 2022
- Operators should explore virtual queuing systems
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Perceptions of Visitor Attractions
- Theme parks deemed to be fun but expensive
- Figure 41: Kellogg’s ‘Grownups Go Free’ promotional advert, December 2022
- Opportunity for art galleries to work on image
- Gardens and museums seen in positive light amongst consumers
- Zoos are popular with families, but ethical credentials in contention
- Figure 42: Correspondence analysis of perceptions of visitor attractions, 2022
- Figure 43: Perceptions of visitor attractions, 2022
- Theme parks deemed to be fun but expensive
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Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
- Correspondence analysis methodology
- TURF Methodology
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Appendix: Forecast Methodology
- Market forecast and prediction intervals
- Figure 44: Lower bound, central and upper bound volume forecast for visits to UK attractions, 2021-27
- Market drivers and assumptions
- Forecast methodology
- Market forecast and prediction intervals
About the report
This market report provides in-depth analysis and insight supported by a range of data. At the same time, introductory and top-level content is provided to give you an overview of the issues covered.
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