Visits to UK historical and cultural attractions grew by an estimated 10% between 2003 and 2007, and 52% of the adult population have visited an historical/cultural attraction at least once over the past 12 months. However, storm clouds are gathering in the form of economic crisis and a run of poor summers, particularly affecting paid, outdoor attractions in the heritage sector.

Visits remain strongly indexed to socio-economic status and household income, although the sector is keen to widen social access. In future, attractions may have to perform a balancing act: maximising revenue from affluent ABC1s, whilst encouraging new visitors and appealing to families on a budget.

This report provides an overview of the market for historical and cultural attractions, investigating the core market factors, strengths and weaknesses, consumer dynamics and attraction trends.

Main report themes:

How popular are historical and cultural attractions compared to more ‘fun’ days out such as theme parks, zoos or the seaside?

What is the likely impact of the economic downturn on the sector?

What kinds of innovation are we seeing in this relatively traditional sector, deeply rooted in the past?

What are the demographic profiles of visitors to historical and cultural attractions? Is this sector still a middle-class bastion despite the more populist approach of recent years?

What are the key target groups for attractions, what sources of information do they use and how can they best be approached?

What are the key attitudes and emotional drivers of visits towards historical and cultural attractions?