The Contribution of the Heritage Sector to the Visitor Economy

Heritage-led tourism supports the UK economy

The heritage sector supports visitor-related tourism through 2 distinct channels. The first is through domestic tourism (day and overnight), and the second is from inbound international tourists.

• In 2024, heritage tourism declined slightly, reflecting a normalisation in post-pandemic travel patterns and ongoing cost-of-living pressures on domestic trips. This followed a period of strong recovery in 2022, when sites recorded their highest-ever visitor numbers, and a modest drop in 2023 that still remained above pre-pandemic levels
• There were 187 million domestic day visits, 14.7 million domestic overnight trips, and 18.2 million international trips to heritage in 2024
• These visits generated significant visitor spend estimated at £12.5 billion; £4.8 billion and £12.4 billion respectively (CEBR, 2026)

Domestic overnight trips

The GB Tourism Survey is used to estimate the volume and spend of UK heritage-driven domestic overnight tourism, covering trips taken for any purpose including holidays, business or visiting friends and family (CEBR, 2026).

• There were 14.7 million domestic heritage-related trips (overnight visits) in 2024, compared with 15 million in 2023. The decline reflects a combination of factors including the temporary nature of the 2022 peak driven by the lifting of lockdown restrictions, British tourists opting for more overseas travel and some households cutting back on overnight trips altogether due to cost-of-living pressures.
• Annual spending on domestic heritage-related trips has been increasing. Domestic tourists are estimated to have spent £4.8 billion on overnight heritage-related trips in 2024, compared with £4.5 billion in 2023. Although slightly below the 2022 peak, this represents a sustained high level of spending and reflects an increase in average expenditure per trip, driven by inflationary pressures and a gradual return to more typical travel patterns

Domestic day visits

The analysis of heritage-related day visits draws on Visit England's Day Visit survey (CEBR, 2026). A visit is defined as one that involves 1 of 15 defined leisure activities, lasts at least 3 hours, is not a regular activity and is in a destination outside the respondent's place of residence.

Total heritage-related day visits declined year-on-year from 2016 to 2019. Post-pandemic, there has been a reversal in this trend. Day visits almost doubled from the low numbers of 2021 (119 million) to 187 million in 2024. The same trend is observed in the estimated spending on these day visits. In 2024, the value of day visits was £12.5 billion.

International heritage-related tourism

The analysis draws upon the International Passenger Survey (IPS) which collects information about individuals entering and leaving the UK and is used to produce estimates of overseas travel and tourism (CEBR, 2026).

• In 2024, visits grew further to 18.2 million, an annual rise of 3%, while annual expenditure declined slightly in real terms by around 4% to £12.4 billion
• At regional level, around 13% of visitors to heritage sites in the East of England and 12% in the South East come from outside the United Kingdom. Growth in 2024 was strongest in these 2 regions, while the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber experienced declines in both visitor numbers and spend
• 2024 also saw heritage-related international tourism spending remain broadly stable compared to 2023 levels, suggesting continued resilience despite global inflationary pressures

A key driver of visits and tourists

Heritage is all around us. Evidence demonstrates that local heritage plays an important role in attracting people to place.

• According to the DCMS Participation Survey over 3 in 5 adults (67%) engaged with a heritage site at least once in the last 12 months (DCMS, 2025)
• Physical engagement with heritage such as visiting a historic site, monument or town was reported by 66% of adults, while 24% engaged digitally, for example by taking virtual tours or researching local history online
• The most popular heritage visitor sites include parks or gardens with historic features (41%), followed by historic landscapes or habitats (36%) and towns and cities with celebrated histories (36%) (DCMS, 2025)
• Evidence from the Annual Visitor Attraction Survey shows that in 2023, 7 of the 10 most popular paid visitor attractions in England were heritage attractions (Visit Britain, 2025)

Visitor numbers for top 10 paid visitor attractions in England, 2023/24 

Source: Visit Britain, 2025

Historic Houses, a membership association representing 1,450 independently owned historic houses, castles, and gardens across the UK welcomed over 21.3 million visitors in 2025. This represents a 14% increase compared with 2024. They also found: 

• The visits included over 242,000 learners of all ages participating in educational visits, outreach activities and learning programmes, facilitating learning about everything from history and architecture to foraging and filmmaking (Historic Houses, 2026)
• In 2022, Historic Houses hosted over 4,100 days of filming across the country, as the setting for programmes as varied as Apple TV's 'Ted Lasso' to Netflix's 'Bridgerton' (Historic Houses, 2023)

An extensive study that examined visitor motivations amongst international visitors found:

• 78% of 22,840 international tourists surveyed selected 'exploring history and heritage' an important driver in selecting any international destination for a break. The top drivers were that a place 'offers good value for money' (87%) and that 'it is welcoming' (87%)
• When the same respondents were asked about their motivation to visit Britain against the same list of key drivers, 'exploring history and heritage' was ranked first (57%). This indicates just how strongly our national heritage is associated with Britain as a visitor destination (Visit Britain, 2023b)
• On the other hand, Britain was ranked low in terms of ‘offers good value for money’ (only 33% agree, the second lowest driver of visits to Britain) (Visit Britain, 2023b)

Recent trends suggest a resilient and growing heritage visitor led tourism economy

Evidence on 2024 visitor numbers from the Visitor Attraction Survey demonstrates continuous growth:

• Admissions to England’s historic attractions continued to increase in 2024 but at a slower rate than in the previous 3 years, with an average growth of 3%. All categories of historic attraction saw an increase in visitor numbers in 2024 when compared to 2023, with visitor and heritage centres and places of worship recording the strongest growth (BVA, BDRC, 2024)
• There was a 15% increase in overseas visits to historic attractions in 2024 compared to 2023. Nearly all government regions saw an uplift in visitor numbers at historic attractions, as in previous years, historic attractions in London reported the highest proportion of international visitors, with over 1 in 4 visits made by overseas tourists. The South West also continued to see above-average representation of international visitors (BVA, BDRC, 2024)
• Historic attraction revenues increased by 5% in 2024 compared with 2023, slightly below the wider visitor attractions market, which recorded an 8% rise (BVA, BDRC, 2024)
• According to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA), 400 member sites received 157.2 million visits in 2024, up 3.4% on 2023 though still below 2019 levels; the British Museum (6.48 million) and the Natural History Museum (6.30 million) were the most visited UK attractions, while the Tower of London (2.90 million) was the most visited paid-for attraction in England (ALVA, 2024)

Historic visitor attractions play an important role in supporting local economy

• A 2025 report by the Eastern Arc Heritage and Culture Network found that the Eastern Arc area, stretching from Norfolk and Suffolk in the East of England to Kent and Sussex in the South East  accounts for approximately £4.2 billion of the £15.3 billion national heritage income in 2022, around a quarter of the total. The report situates heritage tourism within these wider regional economies, showing that its contribution is comparable in scale to major sectors such as construction and manufacturing across parts of the area. (Eastern Arc Heritage and Culture Network, 2025)
• A study into heritage and the UK tourism economy, based on a random sample of 62 completed National Lottery Heritage Fund projects funded between 2004 and 2007, estimated that for every £1 spent as part of a heritage visit, 32p is spent on site and the remaining 68p is spent in local businesses including restaurants, cafés, hotels and shops (National Lottery Heritage Fund, 2010)
• Evidence from Historic Houses members shows that in 2025 members places employed over 12,000 full time equivalent staff, many in rural areas where alternative employment opportunities can be limited. Historic Houses generated around £1 billion in economic benefit to the UK economy with around three quarters of the expenditure taking place locally or regionally (Historic Houses, 2026) 
• The United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO found that the UNESCO brand is an important marketing tool, boosting tourist numbers and expenditure, local employment and local house UNESCO designations added £151 million per year in financial benefits to the UK economy. It also promotes educational projects and initiatives, encourages global networks and improves international reputations (UNESCO, 2020)
• In 2015, heritage tourism supported £5.3 billion in tax receipts to the Exchequer, 0.8% of all tax collected by the central government that year. This includes £2 billion the heritage tourism sector paid directly; £2.1 billion from the heritage tourism sector's wage payments and subsequent spending of those wages; and £1.2 billion in tax receipts from the sector's purchases. These estimates are based on the GVA and the number of people employed in the heritage tourism sector (Oxford Economics, 2016)
• A 2015 report into screen tourism estimates that tourists visiting locations featured in film and television programs generated £140 million for the UK economy in 2014. This includes many productions filmed at heritage sites including 'Harry Potter', 'Downton Abbey' and 'Broadchurch'. The study is based on site and online surveys of 1,006 individuals in 8 locations (Olsberg SPI, 2015)

Managing challenges and negative externalities of tourism

While heritage tourism is a major contributor to the visitor economy, research also shows that rapid tourism growth, if not managed properly, can place significant pressure on local communities, infrastructure and the historic environment.

• Cerisola, S. & Panzera, E. (2024) found heritage tourism supported prosperity at lower levels of visitor numbers  across Italian provinces, however, in destinations attracting very high numbers of visitors, the extra income generated was outweighed by rising costs. They analysed the relationship between heritage tourism and GDP per capita using a Structural Regression Model and tested both direct effects of tourism on economic performance and indirect effects through crime and environmental pressures, revealing that while heritage tourism supports growth, overcrowding can undermine its long-term benefits.
• High visitor numbers can often lead to queues, noise, traffic and pollution that affect both residents and the quality of the visitor experience. Garrod and Fyall (1998) found that overcrowding, physical wear and tear and traffic were widespread concerns at UK heritage attractions. They also reported that admission pricing was driven mainly by revenue targets, rather than being used to manage visitor demand or support long-term conservation. These findings were based on a postal survey of heritage property owners, consultants and attraction managers, examining how sustainability principles were applied in the management of historic properties and gardens.  
• These pressures can often extend into the wider local environment. Increased demand for short-term accommodation can push up housing costs or limit availability for residents, while essential services and infrastructure face additional strain. A Deloitte report (2008) for the Northern Ireland Assembly highlighted these broader impacts, including higher housing prices and environmental pressures.
• In historic city centres, these effects can be felt especially sharply, making the balance between vibrancy and liveability important. Edinburgh World Heritage and civic groups have repeatedly raised concerns that the Royal Mile is at risk of becoming a “tourist ghetto”, with congestion and over-commercialisation reducing its livability for local communities. Similarly, in York, residents have highlighted how weekend noise and crowding in the medieval core have prompted the city to adopt a strategy focused on “value, not volume”, aiming to maintain the city’s unique character while welcoming visitors.

Towards more sustainable and effective management

Responding effectively to the pressures created by tourism growth requires a shift from reactive measures to more strategic, evidence-led approaches. Sustainable heritage tourism depends not only on regulating visitor numbers, but also on understanding how people value, experience and interact with historic places.

• Gómez-Zapata, Herrero-Prieto and Arboleda-Cardona (2024) make the case that understanding the preferences of different types of visitors can support more effective heritage management. Using a choice experiment applied to a World Heritage cultural landscape, they estimated willingness to pay for changes to historic features, tourism infrastructure and the conservation of cultural traditions. The findings show that preferences vary by visitor type and length of stay, with different groups placing different weight on preservation, services and territorial identity. The study highlights how such evidence can help public managers tailor investment and tourism strategies to better balance conservation, visitor experience and community wellbeing.
• Closer to home, in Edinburgh, is set to become the first city in the UK to introduce a statutory visitor levy. Under the scheme, a 5% charge will be applied to overnight accommodation stays, with funds reinvested directly into the city's culture, heritage and public spaces. The levy is projected to raise up to £50 million a year, with 35% ring-fenced specifically for culture, heritage and events, described by the City of Edinburgh Council as the single largest boost to cultural funding in the city since the National Lottery (City of Edinburgh Council, 2026).
• Complimenting this, Folgado-Fernández et al. (2025), in a survey-based study of 436 visitors to the UNESCO-listed Old Town of Cáceres, analysed how traditional and digital information sources influence visitor motivations, experience and future behavioural intentions. The findings show that online reviews and search engines are the most influential sources of information, and that visitor motivations are a key determinant of overall satisfaction and destination loyalty. The study suggests that coordinated communication strategies and effective use of digital platforms can strengthen visitor engagement and support sustainable heritage management by influencing how tourists plan, experience and evaluate destinations.
• Beyond behavioural insights and communication strategies, destinations are also adopting practical tools to balance preservation with economic growth. Visitor caps, timed entry systems and zoning measures help manage overcrowding, while tourism levies generate funding for conservation and environmental projects. Digital technologies such as augmented and virtual reality further enhance interpretation and accessibility while reducing physical strain on sensitive assets (The University of Manchester, 2025).
• A strong example of a tourism levy working in practice comes from the Balearic Islands, Spain, where a Sustainable Tourism Tax introduced in 2016, charging visitors a per-night accommodation fee to fund conservation and heritage projects across Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. By 2023, the tax was raising €133 million annually, with over €270 million invested in 170 projects since inception, including restoration of historic city walls and a new interpretation centre for a UNESCO-listed Phoenician settlement , without evidence of reduced visitor demand (Govern de les Illes Balears, 2024).

Together, these examples suggest that managing tourism growth and protecting heritage are not competing goals. With the right evidence, tools and investment mechanisms in place, destinations can ensure that the visitors heritage attracts also contribute to its long-term survival - securing the places, stories and landscapes that make England's historic environment so distinctive for future generations.

Conclusion

Heritage tourism remains a cornerstone of England’s visitor economy, sustaining employment, supporting local businesses and reinforcing the distinct identity of places across the country. Evidence shows that while growth can create pressures, its long-term value depends on careful stewardship and strategic, evidence-led management.

England’s heritage sector continues to demonstrate resilience and adaptability, positioning itself for future growth. With both international and domestic tourism remaining strong and visitor engagement evolving in new ways, there are significant opportunities to build on the sector’s enduring appeal. Its proven economic contribution to local communities, together with its ability to attract overseas and domestic visitors alike, points to sustained potential. As the sector continues to innovate and respond to changing visitor preferences, it is well placed not only to preserve England’s cultural legacy but also to strengthen its contribution to the national economy in the years ahead.

References

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