Cost is the biggest barrier to visiting attractions, and operators in this market have also faced significant increases in running costs, leading to higher ticket prices. Nine out of the top 10 attractions were free to visit in 2023, and such value options for attractions will continue to dominate into 2025 as consumers’ finances remain fragile.
Against this backdrop, and with brands facing difficult trading environments and tourism numbers still down, the main threat is that visitor numbers might not recover to the highs of pre-pandemic levels until 2030.
However, this presents an opportunity for brands to be on the front foot, and to innovate and diversify to rebuild. Brands must maximise revenues from existing customers through additional value-added services. Focusing on reducing friction points in the experience, as well as reimagining spaces in unique and novel ways, can help drive added value for brands.
This report looks at the following areas:
- The continuing impact of the cost-of-living crisis on the visitor attractions market, and its effect on visitor numbers
- Attractions that consumers have visited and insights into the booking window for their most recent attraction visit
- How visitor attraction brands can leverage extra paid-for experiences and features to drive monetisation opportunities
- Consumer attitudes towards the use of technology in visitor attraction venues and how brands can use this to diversify content, improve efficiency and appeal to broader audiences
Visitor attractions can continue to rebuild audiences by diversifying spaces, offering additional premium services and enhancing experiences with technology.
Joe Birch, Senior Technology and Leisure Analyst
Market Definitions
For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following definitions:
This Report examines the UK market for visitor attractions in the UK.
Collapse All
-
Executive Summary
- Opportunities for the visitor attractions market
- With overall visitor numbers down, Â get creative to boost visitor numbers
- Take the opportunity to maximise revenues from existing guests
- Technology can help streamline the visitor experience and create diverse content to boost audiences
- Younger and more affluent consumers are amenable to using AI tools in the booking process
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Number of visits remains well below pre-pandemic level
- Graph 1: total number of visits to UK visitor attractions, 2019-24
- Outlook for visitor attractions
- Market is recovering, but visits won’t return to pre-pandemic levels before 2030
- Consumers are still feeling the squeeze and tourism is still rebuilding
- Graph 2: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-24
- What consumers want and why
- Overall visitor numbers continue to recover
- Graph 3: adults who visited attractions in the last 12 months, 2019-24
- Value options continue to grow most strongly
- Graph 4: types of visitor attraction visited in the last 12 months, 2022 vs 2024
- Bundle attractions to serve distinct tastes in visitor attractions
- Graph 5: repertoire of visitor attractions visited in the past 12 months, 2024
- Technology is a key tool in the booking process, but don’t discount the human touch
- Graph 6: methods of booking tickets for most recent visitor attraction experience, 2024
- Tap into the window of opportunity for executing advanced attraction bookings
- Graph 7: booking timescale for most recent leisure activity, 2024
- Encourage visitors to trade up with fastrack experiences
- Graph 8: premium features consumers would be willing to pay more for at visitor attractions, ranked 1st, 2024
- Use technology to enhance not distract from the visitor attraction experience
- Graph 9: attitudes towards visitor attractions, 2024
- Innovation and marketing
- Universal unveils plans for theme park, while Merlin delivers the thrills
- Sensory experiences come to life through immersive exhibitions
-
Market Dynamics
- Market size
- Number of visits remains well below pre-pandemic level
- Graph 10: total number of visits to UK visitor attractions, 2019-24
- Fewer people are visiting attractions
- Total visiting figures hide the mixed picture
- Market forecast
- Market is recovering but visits won’t return to pre-pandemic levels before 2030
- Boost memberships to encourage return visits
- Market segmentation
- Museums and galleries benefitted from return of inbound tourism
- Graph 11: visitor attraction admission trends, 2020-23
- The British Museum was the most visited attraction in 2023
- Scope for free attractions to find new revenue streams
- Market drivers
- Consumers are still feeling the squeeze
- Graph 12: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-24
- Cost of visitor attractions continues to rise
- Gloomy weather continues to hurt outdoor attractions
- Inbound tourism yet to return to pre-pandemic levels
- Graph 13: number of inbound visits to the UK, 2019-23
- Stress the environmental benefits of a staycation
- Promoting nature through the lens of mental health
-
What Consumers Want and Why
- Attraction visiting
- Overall visitor numbers continue to recover
- Graph 14: adults who have visited a visitor attraction in the last 12 months, 2019-24
- Overall visiting driven by younger generations
- Promote quality time with family and friends at your attraction
- Be nimble and proactive in the face of the Great British weather
- Value options continue to grow most strongly
- Graph 15: types of visitor attraction visited, last 12 months, 2022 vs 2024
- Create opportunities for mini visits and ‘lite’ tours
- Broaden the appeal of theme parks beyond young thrill seekers
- Graph 16: selected visitor attractions visited, last 12 months, by generation, 2024
- Tap into family fun
- Attraction bundles can appeal to multi-site visitors
- Graph 17: repertoire of visitor attractions visited in the past 12 months, 2024
- Bundle attractions to serve distinct tastes in visitor attractions
- Explore flexible, alternative ways to reach and engage consumers
- Most recent attraction visited
- Consumers most enjoy outdoor experiences and educational visits
- Graph 18: most recent visitor attraction visited, 2024
- Methods of booking visitor attractions
- Technology is a key tool in the booking process, but don’t discount the human touch
- Graph 19: methods of booking tickets for most recent visitor attraction experience, 2024
- Promote booking methods to different age groups to break down barriers to visiting
- Graph 20: methods of booking tickets for most recent visitor attraction experience, by generation, 2024
- Incentivise app downloads in the booking phase
- Traditional personal interaction is preferred for cultural visitors
- The booking window
- Tap into the window of opportunity for executing advanced attraction bookings
- Graph 21: booking timescale for most recent visitor attraction experience, 2024
- Older generations prefer certainty in advanced booking
- Encourage prebooking with added incentives and discounts
- Promote FOMO to encourage booking execution
- Graph 22: time of booking attraction, by most recent attraction visited, 2024
- Premiumisation opportunities in the attraction sector
- Encourage visitors to trade up with fastrack experiences
- Graph 23: premium features consumers would be willing to pay more for at visitor attractions, ranked 1st, 2024
- Encourage consumers to max out their experience with an overnight stay
- Promote the convenience of shortcuts to make the visitor experience effortless
- Eventise your space to create value through novelty
- Help consumers make the most out of their visit with guided tours
- Pull back the curtain to make visitors’ dreams come true
- Graph 24: willingness to pay more for behind-the-scenes experiences or VIP facilities at a visitor attraction (any rank), by age and gender, 2024
- Attitudes towards technology in attraction visiting
- Consumer engagement starts at the planning stage
- Graph 25: attitudes towards discounts and planning tools for visitor attractions, 2024
- Experiment with AI to personalise your customers’ app experience
- Graph 26: interest in using digital tools or AI chatbots to plan/book visits to visitor attractions, by generation, 2024
- Create bespoke maps of your attraction for added convenience
- Graph 27: attitudes towards technology in visitor attraction experiences, 2024
- Promote the utility of bespoke maps for young families
- Blend the immersive and the real for powerful hybrid exhibits
- Graph 28: attitudes towards use of technology in visitor attraction experiences, 2024
- Reimagine your collections in innovate ways to encourage repeat visits
- Graph 29: consumers who like to visit attractions that use technology to provide interactive experiences, by generation, 2024
- Younger males are keen on tech-driven experiences
- Balance the trade-off between tech utility and need for a digital detox
- Graph 30: consumers who think attractions that can help you detox from using technology are appealing, by age and gender, 2024
-
Innovation And Marketing Trends
- Launch activity and innovation
- Universal unveils plans for theme park and resort in the Midlands
- Merlin delivers thrills with new record-breaking rollercoaster
- VR attraction showcases the evolution of life
- Bubble Planet brings immersive play for kids of all ages
- ‘Immersive’ is the buzzword as brands look to feed the senses in attractions
- Britain’s diverse museum scene helps to showcase heritage
- UK garden attractions set for sustainability focus
- Scotland promotes health upside of visiting green spaces
- Merlin and Coca Cola offer sweetener for good recycling practices
- Tech for good aims to enhance visitor attractions and highlight conservation efforts
- Hybrid digital and real-world attractions can create unique experiences
- Immersive art exhibitions bring scale and sensory stimulus to exhibitions
- TV adaptation provide stimulus for ground-breaking new dinosaur exhibition
-
Appendix
- Supplementary data
- UK recorded its seventh wettest year on record in 2023
- Market forecast data and methodology
- Market forecast and prediction intervals (volume)
- Forecast methodology
- Report scope and definitions
- Products covered in this report
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Consumer research methodology
- Snoop SpendMapper methodology
Market Intelligence Made Easier With Mintel
The first Mintel Market Intelligence report was published over 50 years ago. Since then, we have provided our unique insights and understanding of consumers, innovation and global markets to thousands of customers worldwide. Here’s why our customers rely on Mintel:
- Gain a comprehensive, 360-degree view of the market: Mintel reports blend consumer research, market forecasts, product innovation tracking, and competitive analysis, allowing businesses to see every angle of their industry and identify new opportunities quickly.
- Make decisions with confidence, grounded in robust data: Each report draws on up-to-date, reliable information from trusted sources and industry experts, ensuring your strategies are based on solid evidence rather than speculation.
- Benefit from expert analysis and practical recommendations: Mintel’s reports are written by experienced analysts who interpret complex data and provide clear, actionable insights you can trust to guide your next moves.
- Stay ahead with actionable intelligence on market trends and consumer behaviour: By combining fresh research with long-term market monitoring, our reports help businesses anticipate changes and adapt strategically. So you’re prepared to make informed decisions and drive growth.
What goes into a Mintel Market Intelligence Report?
Curious about how a Market Intelligence report comes together? We like to think of it as building a detailed puzzle. We start with individual pieces: data from consumers, market statistics, industry trends, and online conversations. Then our expert analysts add world-class human insight and industry knowledge. The pieces are assembled to reveal a clear, comprehensive picture of a market.
The Four Pillars of Our Research
We use a combination of four main research methods when creating our reports, each adding a valuable perspective:
- Consumer Research: Direct surveys with real people, giving us clear, current insights into what people think and do.
- Desk Research: In-depth review of trusted data sources. We use this rich database, plus powerful internal tools that track new products and market sizes, to detect trends and guide forecasts.
- Trade Research: Insights from conversations with industry experts. Their real-world experience helps us understand what’s happening behind the scenes.
- Brand and Social Media Research: Analysis of online opinions and trends. This lets us spot trends, measure brand sentiment, and capture feedback in real time, adding further depth to our research.
Bringing It All Together
Each of these four pillars provides a different piece of the puzzle. Consumer research tells us what customers think, desk research provides the factual framework, trade research offers an insider’s view, and social media analysis reveals public sentiment.
Our expert analysts are skilled in weaving these diverse data streams together. They apply a range of quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques to uncover the deeper story, connecting the dots to deliver clear, actionable insights. This comprehensive, multi-layered process is how we transform raw data into a market intelligence report you can trust to inform your most important business decisions.
£ 2,195 (Excl.Tax)
-
Download today with instant access
Pay via credit card or invoice (net 30 payment terms)
-
Multiple formats provided
We send a PDF, Powerpoint and Excel Databook straight to your inbox. An interactive version of the report is also available on our online platform
-
Interactive databook included
Focus on the data that matters most to you with a customisable databook available on our platform
-
Save up to 20% when you purchase multiple reports
Discount automatically applied in basket
Need help before you buy?
Our research specialists can answer your questions and recommend the reports that best match your business needs.
Contact usTrusted by global industry leaders
We’ve found it so useful working more closely with Mintel. They helped support our recent flagship event for our top suppliers by providing a really unique viewpoint on the future of online retailing.
Nick Carroll from their Retail Team was also an excellent panelist, sharing useful and actionable consumer insights. We definitely look forward to working with Mintel again on future projects.
Zac Steele, E-Commerce Trading Development Manager, Waitrose & Partners
Mintel helps us when we want to know something quickly – it provides fast answers to our questions. If we need to get a view of what’s going on in a particular market it’s very useful.
When carrying out background research, I find Mintel an excellent starting point.
The fact that it covers so many markets is a big plus for me– instead of having to buy specialist products in each area we are interested in, especially when we only require a brief view on a particular market, we can go to Mintel for help as a one-stop shop. I find Mintel a useful and valuable resource.
Ben Zeidler, Director - Research and Analytics, Tenth Wave
We use Mintel Reports, mostly for financial services and ecommerce markets, plus a few retail and technology ones.
As a leading payments provider, we value additional insights into consumer behaviour, opinions and trends that are shaping the many different markets we operate in. Mintel is a very good and very quick way for us to obtain those insights.
We use Mintel to get a view on where a particular market is going, which can support us in product development and help us identify opportunities or indeed risks, it is a very useful barometer of a market’s potential.
Andrew Neeson, Market Intelligence Manager, VocaLink
At Jackman, we believe that powerful strategies are based on human insight. Mintel’s leading-edge reports and insights into consumer attitudes and behaviors are an important input as we develop and execute strategy.
Alana Gavin, VP Research and Insights, Jackman
We utilize Mintel Reports, Trends and Comperemedia to mine for insights across the numerous business verticals that Epsilon serves, such as CPG, automotive, telecom, healthcare/pharma, retail and financial services.
By integrating Mintel insight into new business opportunities, we have been able to gain the competitive edge necessary to advance partnerships with global brands and key business players.
For our organization, it’s about depth and breadth. Having one without the other doesn’t enable success in our business.
Virginia Harvey, Secondary Research Manager, Epsilon
Need help before you buy?
Our research specialists can answer your questions and recommend the reports that best match your business needs.
Contact us
