Immersive Attractions Drive Huge Growth in the Experience Economy, Generating £7.4bn in Spending

A fundamental shift in consumer behaviour is delivering high-value returns across the global attractions industry, with immersive and interactive experiences emerging as primary drivers of guest engagement and spending. According to the inaugural Experience Economy Index 2026, released by Grant Thornton UK in partnership with Experience UK and academic researchers from King’s College London, UK consumer expenditure in experience-related categories reached £206 billion in 2025.

This spending represents 11.7% of all consumer expenditure, up from 9.5% in 1997, and is projected to rise to 13% by 2031, representing a growth trajectory equivalent to an additional £23 billion. For theme park operators, master planners, ride manufacturers, and technology suppliers, the index provides definitive evidence that modern park guests are increasingly prioritizing high-engagement, participatory environments over static or passive entertainment.

Immersive Attractions Lead Growth Across the Sector

A central focus of the report is the explosive growth of immersive attractions, defined as paid experiences where guests actively participate, explore specifically designed thematic environments, or co-create the experience rather than remaining passive spectators.

Key highlights for theme park and attraction professionals include:

• Substantial Audience Participation: 31% of UK adults (17 million people) attended an immersive experience in the past 12 months. Across a five-year horizon, participation expands to 36% (19.5 million adults).
• £7.4 Billion Economic Spending: Immersive concepts, ranging from standalone attractions like ABBA Voyage, The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience, and Monopoly Lifesized to themed entertainment venues, generated £7.4 billion in total expenditure over the past 12 months through tickets, supply chains, and broader economic activity.
• £3.9 Billion GVA Contribution: The immersive sub-sector delivered £3.9 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the UK economy and supported roughly 47,600 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs.
• Strong Multiplier Effect: For every £1 of direct GVA generated by immersive attractions, a further 78p of GVA is stimulated across the wider supply chain and local economy.

Outspending Traditional Leisure: Lessons for Theme Park Yield Management

The report demonstrates that interactive, highly immersive attractions command significantly higher per-guest expenditure than traditional leisure activities or static visitor attractions.

The median total spend per attendee for an immersive experience stands at £210, far exceeding traditional festivals (£125), live music concerts (£88), sporting events (£63), theatre (£63), traditional visitor attractions such as standard regional zoos, heritage sites, or non-themed parks (£45), and cinema (£15).

This premium valuation is driven by the fact that guests treat immersive experiences as complete multi-touchpoint trips rather than standalone admission purchases. For theme park resort operators looking to maximize yield across park gates, hotel properties, and retail corridors, the spend breakdown provides valuable benchmarks:

• Admission Tickets: £45 (median)
• On-Site Food & Beverage: £25
• Off-Site Local F&B Spending: £25
• Accommodation: £25
• Travel & Transport: £25
• Secondary Activities, Local Retail & Shopping: £25
• Merchandise, Souvenirs & Costumes: £20 combined

Destination Attractions and the Regional Economic Multiplier

While London accounts for 58% of UK immersive GVA (£2.2 billion), major immersive destination projects are proving to be powerful economic engines for regional economies:

• Northern Ireland: Generates £510 million GVA, largely powered by high-impact regional anchor attractions like Titanic Belfast and the Game of Thrones Studio Tour.
• Scotland: Delivers £233 million GVA.
• Yorkshire and The Humber: Generates £216 million GVA.
• North West England: Generates £154 million GVA.

Immersive attractions function as primary catalysts for overnight tourism. Over half (55%) of immersive experience attendees stay overnight in the area, and 53% make the journey specifically for the attraction, travelling an average of 1 hour and 41 minutes each way. Furthermore, 37% spend at nearby local restaurants and bars, and 32% engage in local retail shopping, emphasizing the strong economic case for public-private partnerships, infrastructure funding, and destination master planning.

Consumer Demographics: Digital Fatigue, Gen Z, and Escapism

Understanding what motivates today's theme park and attraction guest is critical for experience design, brand licensing, and marketing strategies. The research highlights several key drivers:

• Memories Over Material Possessions: 40% of UK adults actively prioritize spending on real-world experiences over physical goods, a figure that jumps to 54% among 18- to 34-year-olds.
• Digital Fatigue and Unplugged Play: 40% of respondents state that screen overload makes them actively seek out physical, real-world experiences where they can be fully present. Significantly, 51% believe more live experiences should restrict mobile phone usage during the event to preserve immersion.
• Gen Z Dominance: Young adults aged 18 to 29 represent the highest-consuming demographic, with 66% having attended an immersive attraction in the last five years. 30% of Gen Z report spending more on experiences than a year ago, and 25% expect to increase their outlay further in the coming year.
• Core Guest Motivations: When selecting an experience, consumers prioritize creating lasting memories (38%), quality time with friends and family (36%), anticipation (32%), self-reward (28%), and escaping everyday routine (25%).

Strategic Takeaways for Theme Park Executives, Developers, and Suppliers

Industry confidence matches strong consumer demand. Data from Barclays cited in the index shows that 65% of UK leisure and hospitality leaders are expanding investment in experience-led offerings, with 60% noting that demand for memorable experiences is growing faster than demand for physical products.

Major international investments reflect this trend, including the new Universal United Kingdom Resort in Bedfordshire, which is projected to generate nearly £50 billion in economic benefit by 2055, attracting an estimated 8.5 million visitors in its opening year.

The report highlights several operational and strategic lessons for theme park professionals:

1. Protect the Physical, Human Moment: While digital queue management, frictionless mobile ordering, and AI operations are vital for throughput, technology should never strip away human touchpoints or atmospheric immersion. Physical, social interaction remains the core value proposition for guests.
2. Maximize Tax Reliefs and R&D Incentives: Theme parks investing in original ride systems, custom show control software, interactive thematic environments, and complex set builds often miss out on available Research & Development (R&D) tax reliefs and capital allowances. Capturing capital spend in real-time is vital to protecting operating margins against rising energy and labor costs.
3. Expand Resort-Wide and Regional Partnerships: Guest spending extends far beyond the park turnstile. Operators who integrate off-gate dining, themed hotel stays, and regional transport options into a cohesive destination package capture a significantly larger share of total guest wallet spend.
4. Design for Modular Agility and Strategic Off-Ramps: With consumer preferences shifting rapidly, park planners and suppliers should design new lands, pop-up concepts, and IP integrations with flexible cost structures and modular layouts. This allows operators to test new interactive formats without incurring unsustainable fixed-capital overheads.

Industry Commentary

"We’ve always loved a great experience, from Glastonbury and the theatre to visitor attractions and Oasis. But as AI and digital technology become an increasingly important part of how we live, work and do business, the value of shared, in-person experiences is growing too. The impact of the Experience Economy ripples far beyond traditionally experience-led sectors, extending into financial services, travel, hospitality, retail, technology and infrastructure."

 Tom Middleton, Economic Consulting Partner at Grant Thornton UK

"The scale of these findings confirms that the Experience Economy is not a niche or passing trend. It is a major engine of economic growth, supporting thousands of jobs, strengthening destinations and generating valuable additional spending across hospitality, retail, transport and tourism. The UK has an extraordinary ecosystem of creators, operators, designers and technology businesses producing experiences that are admired around the world."

 Ian Clappison, CEO at Experience UK

"The experience versus material preference gap is likely to widen further as younger, more experience-oriented generations gain spending power. Separately, rising AI adoption may increase, rather than reduce, demand for face-to-face, human-mediated experiences, as live and shared moments gain relative value precisely because they cannot be automated."

 Dr Hang-Yee Chan and Dr Ozlem Tetik, King’s College London

To access the full research report and methodology, visit Grant Thornton UK's Experience Economy Insights.