The figures look at tourism spend among international and domestic day and overnight tourists generated by a range of leisure activities including golf, cycling and fishing, sightseeing, trips to visitor attractions and live sporting and music events.

 

The new study shows that golf, for example, contributed £456 million to Britain’s economy, while attending a live sporting event brought in £3.2 billion.

 

The highest contribution was made by visitor attractions, which contributed £3.8 billion, followed by attending a live sporting event, attending a live music event / festival (£3.1 billion), visiting historic buildings (£2.2 billion) and sightseeing in a town or city (£2 billion).

 

James Berresford, Chief Executive of VisitEngland, said: “This new research is welcome news, confirming the huge contribution that the variety of leisure activities in this country make to the economy. Trips motivated by activities such as walking and cycling generate a massive associated spend, as people are willing to travel around the country to take part in them, and that is something businesses can tap into to drive growth, by offering new and exciting experiences.”

 

Janet Redler added: “It is really useful for us to know just how important leisure activities are to tourist spend in Britain and for this information to be quantified for the first time. Many of the tours we organise involve a range of leisure activities and we are aware that many of our visitors travel to Britain specifically for the activities available here.

 

“We have recently introduced golf and food and wine tours to build on the range of leisure activities offered by Janet Redler Travel and Tourism, and we are pleased to be working with VisitWales to promote the Year of Adventure in Wales, which takes place in 2016 to highlight the exciting range of adventure destinations in the country.”

 

To read more about the new study, go to the VisitEngland website.