The importance of UK visitor attractions
Firstly, visitor attractions are important to UK tourism, because they create jobs for locals. For
example, in 2013, there were 3.1 million jobs in the travel and tourism sector. They attract
overseas visitors, so that the GDP will increase. They contribute to the local and national
economy and stimulate the domestic tourism. The Tower of London was visited by 2,785,249
people in 2015. Visitor attractions make a profit to keep the business going and entertain
every visitor that comes to the
attraction, so they will have a
good impression of the UK. In
2015, the 36.1 million overseas
visitors spent £22.1 billion. In
2013, the 9% of the UK GDP,
which is £126.9 billion, was
contributed by tourism. In
2025, it is predicted that there
will be 3.8 million jobs that are
around the 11% of the UK
population. The main purpose
of attractions is to grab the
customers` attention, so they
will come to a certain area and
explore different attractions. If there is a lot of visitor attraction in an area, tourists will be
entertained and they will stay longer. This means they will spend more on entrance tickets,
food and accommodation, so that it will boost the UK`s economy. The diagram ↑ shows that
tourists in 2013 spent 8.4 billion on leisure. Visitor attractions also provide learning
environment for students. For example, Eden Project attracts school groups and offers them
accommodation. They serve local food, which is good for regeneration. In 2015, there were
22.93 million domestic overnight trips in England that involved visiting an attraction. It is 22%
of the total trips. There were also 133 million day visits that involved visiting a visitor
attraction which is 10% of all day visits in England. The spending of day visits which included
a visitor attraction was £6,221. The 66% of overnight trips involved visiting visitor attractions.
Overall, visitor attractions take a huge part in tourism and they entertain and educate people.
They boost the economy and make a good impression of the area.
https://www.visitbritain.org/sites/default/files/vb-corporate/Documents-
Library/documents/England-documents/visitor_attraction_topic_paper.pdf
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