For a long time, we have talked about the experience economy as though it were a collection of separate activities: attractions, museums, immersive entertainment, leisure, culture, tourism and placemaking.
The reality is that these sectors are connected. They shape where people choose to go, what they do when they arrive, how long they stay and what they spend. They also create jobs, support local businesses and give places reasons to invest.
The challenge has been making that contribution visible.
Giving the sector a clearer measure
That is why Experience UK worked with Grant Thornton UK and academics at King’s College London to develop the first Experience Economy Index.
The Index gives us new evidence about a part of the economy that has often been difficult to define and measure because it crosses traditional industry boundaries. Its findings show that UK consumers spent at least £206 billion in experience-related categories in 2025, equivalent to 11.7% of consumer spending. Academic analysis suggests that this could reach 13% by 2031—around £23 billion more in today’s prices.
The report also examines immersive experiences specifically. It estimates that they generated £7.4 billion in spending across the economy, contributed £3.9 billion in gross value added and supported around 47,600 full-time equivalent jobs. Thirty-one per cent of UK adults—around 17 million people—attended an immersive experience in the previous year.
These figures describe different parts of the picture: broad consumer spending across experience-related categories, and a closer economic analysis of immersive experiences. Together, they help explain why experiences matter to the economy and to the places where they happen.
The Index was not produced just to give us a headline number. It gives businesses, investors and government a stronger shared starting point: better evidence for decisions, clearer recognition of the sector’s contribution, and a more grounded conversation about where growth could come from.
What members need to turn potential into growth
Our annual member survey points to practical priorities: investment and business support, export opportunities, workforce development, growth and stronger advocacy. Those priorities are linked. Businesses need the people, finance, space and policy conditions to develop ideas and bring them to market.
That applies across the whole ecosystem. Creators design and deliver new experiences. Operators bring them to audiences and sustain them commercially. Cultural organisations give people reasons to visit and return. Place shapers connect experiences to the wider life and future of a destination. Future talent brings the skills and ideas that will help the sector develop.
Our role is to connect those perspectives and make sure they are heard together.
The Budget: local opportunity, continuing pressures
The Budget includes some useful measures for parts of our membership. The increase in the business rates threshold from £12,000 to £18,000 could help eligible retail, hospitality and leisure businesses. New powers for mayors and local leaders to retain more business rates revenue, alongside the option of an overnight visitor levy from 2028, could give places new ways to support local growth.
The detail and delivery will matter. The rates change will depend on how a business or property is classified, and decisions on visitor levies will be made locally. We should work with local leaders so that any new revenue supports the destinations, infrastructure and experiences that attract visitors in the first place.
At the same time, the 3.9% minimum wage increase adds to payroll costs for many operators. The Budget does not remove the wider challenges members have raised around investment, venue costs and access to tax relief. We will keep making the case for a fiscal framework that reflects how experience businesses operate and supports long-term investment.
Taking UK expertise to the world
November brings two important opportunities to connect UK businesses with international markets.
MAPIC in Cannes, on 3–4 November, brings together the people shaping retail destinations and commercial property. Experience-led venues and cultural attractions are increasingly part of how destinations diversify their offer and give people new reasons to visit.
Later in the month, IAAPA Expo in Orlando brings the global attractions and leisure industry together. The UK will be represented at the Department for Business and Trade Pavilion, supported by Experience UK. It is a chance to showcase the creativity, technical expertise and operational knowledge that UK businesses can bring to projects around the world.
These events also connect directly to our domestic priorities. International visibility creates opportunities for exports, partnerships and new investment back into the UK.
Building the next generation
Growth also depends on people entering the industry with the right skills and a clear sense of the careers available to them.
We are exploring an opportunity with Buckinghamshire New University to involve students in the delivery of InnovateX. The aim is to connect learning with a live industry event, giving students practical experience while helping us build stronger links between education and the needs of experience businesses.
InnovateX returns to London on 9–10 March 2027, followed by the optional Experience London programme on 11 March. It will bring together creators, operators, cultural organisations, investors, developers and place shapers to share ideas and build connections across the economy we represent.
The Index has helped us put stronger evidence behind a sector whose contribution has too often been overlooked. Now we need to use that evidence: in conversations with investors, government and local leaders, in opening doors for members internationally, and in building the skills and partnerships that will support future growth.
Experiences help places thrive because they give people reasons to come together, explore and return. They should be part of how we plan the future of our town centres and destinations—and of how we think about the UK’s economic opportunity.
Image Credit: Andre Pattenden
