Visitor Attractions - UK - October 2019

OVERVIEW
What you need to know
Products covered in this Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The market
Future healthy despite uncertainties
Figure 1: Forecast of visits to UK visitor attractions, 2014-24
London attendance finally returns to growth
Weather has mixed impact across sector
Digital communications increase admissions
Figure 2: Trends in digital communications offered by visitor attractions in England, 2013-18
Augmented realities take off as 5G coverage grows
Rare attractions bring in crowds
Companies and brands
Lates festival to debut across London
National Lottery Heritage Fund updates funding framework
Great Tapestry of Scotland gets permanent home
Twycross Zoo bucks the trend
Wild swimming lake opens in Beckenham Place Park
The consumer
Three out of four visited an attraction in the last year
Historic sites still have appeal
Figure 3: Type of attractions visited, September 2017, August 2018, and August 2019
Zoo attendance showing signs of decline
Fun, novelty and learning key motivators
Figure 4: Motivations for visiting attractions, August 2019
Staycations drive attraction visiting
Figure 5: Attraction visiting during UK holidays in the last 12 months, August 2019
Food and drink offer could increase dwell time
Figure 6: Factors influencing choice of visitor attraction (any rank), August 2019
Demand to be met for families
Figure 7: Visitor attraction companions, August 2019
Virtual and augmented reality can boost interactivity
Figure 8: Technology and social media activities related to visitor attractions, August 2019
What we think
ISSUES AND INSIGHTS
From dusk to dawn
The facts
The implications
Hobby holidays present creative partnerships
The facts
The implications
THE MARKET – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Future healthy despite uncertainties
London attendance finally returns to growth
Weather has mixed impact across sector
Digital communications increase admissions
Augmented realities take off as 5G coverage grows
Rare attractions bring in crowds
MARKET SIZE AND FORECAST
Visitor numbers
Figure 9: Visits to UK visitor attractions, 2014-24
Future looks healthy amidst uncertainties
Figure 10: Forecast of visits to UK visitor attractions, 2014-24
Forecast methodology
MARKET SEGMENTATION
London attendance finally returns to growth
Figure 11: Share of visits to UK visitor attractions, by nation, 2018
Visitors renew passion for museums and galleries
Figure 12: Attraction visiting trends in England, 2016-18
MARKET DRIVERS
Staycations increase pressure on day visits
Figure 13: Tourism day visits on which visiting an attraction is the main activity, 2013-18
Admissions strong despite inbound tourist decline
Figure 14: Inbound holiday visits by overseas visitors to the UK, 2013-18
Weather has mixed impact across sector
Figure 15: UK mean temperature in °C, 2013-18
Digital communications increase admissions
Figure 16: Trends in digital communications offered by visitor attractions in England, 2013-18
Augmented realities take off as 5G coverage grows
Rare attractions bring in the crowds
COMPANIES AND BRANDS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Lates festival to debut across London
National Lottery Heritage Fund updates funding framework
Wild swimming lake opens in Beckenham Place Park
Twycross Zoo bucks the trend
Great Tapestry of Scotland gets permanent home
LAUNCH ACTIVITY AND INNOVATION
New exhibitions and elements
Lates festival to debut across London
National Lottery Heritage Fund updates funding framework
Yorkshire gets a new £37 million theme park
Wild swimming lake opens in Beckenham Place Park
Twycross Zoo bucks the trend
National Space Centre uses new lab to engage younger audiences
The Great Tapestry of Scotland gets a permanent home
Renovate to innovate
THE CONSUMER – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Three out of four visited an attraction in the last year
Historic sites still have appeal
Zoo attendance showing signs of decline
Fun, novelty and learning are key motivators
Staycations drive attraction visiting
Food and drink offer could increase dwell time
Demand to be met for families
Virtual and augmented reality can boost interactivity
ATTRACTIONS VISITED
Three out of four visited an attraction in the last year
Figure 17: Overall attractions visited in last 12 months, August 2019
Historic sites still have appeal
Figure 18: Type of attractions visited, September 2017, August 2018 and August 2019
Zoo attendance showing signs of decline
Majority of visitors attend multiple attractions
Figure 19: Repertoire of types of attractions visited, August 2019
MOTIVATIONS FOR VISITING ATTRACTIONS
As long as it’s new
Figure 20: Motivations for visiting attractions, August 2019
Younger crowds just want to have fun…
… while history is essential for older age groups
Staycations drive attraction visiting
Figure 21: Attraction visiting during UK holidays in the last 12 months, August 2019
DECISION-MAKING FACTORS
Cost is crucial
Figure 22: Factors influencing choice of visitor attraction (any rank), August 2019
Travel time ranks second
Food and drink offer could increase dwell time
VISITOR ATTRACTION COMPANIONS
Demand to be met for families
Figure 23: Visitor attraction companions, August 2019
Three’s a crowd
Group tours reserved for inbound tourists
ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA FOR VISITOR ATTRACTIONS
Websites most popular, while apps still untapped
Figure 24: Technology and social media activities related to visitor attractions, August 2019
Attractions boost visits to local area
Social media visibility needed
APPENDIX – DATA SOURCES, ABBREVIATIONS AND SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Abbreviations
Consumer research methodology
APPENDIX – MARKET SIZE AND FORECAST
Forecast methodology
Figure 26: Forecast of visits to UK visitor attractions, 2019-24