Great British Day Out Defies Cost-of-Living Squeeze

Brits may be watching their pennies, but they are not giving up their days out, with UK attractions recording a bumper 367.6 million visits in 2025.

Britain's love affair with a good day out is showing no sign of fading – even as households battle soaring costs and tighter budgets.

Thorpe Park, Hyperia. Theme parks, zoos, museums and other attractions are proving a major draw, with UK visitor numbers rising by almost 6 per cent in two years. | IAAPA

placeholder image — Thorpe Park, Hyperia. Theme parks, zoos, museums and other attractions are proving a major draw, with UK visitor numbers rising by almost 6 per cent in two years. | IAAPA

New figures reveal UK attractions welcomed a whopping 367.6 million visits in 2025, putting Britain firmly at the top of the European attractions league table.

The bumper attendance figure means almost one in five attraction visits across Europe took place in the UK, underlining just how deeply days out are woven into British leisure life.

And while millions of households are cutting back on non-essential spending, attractions appear to be bucking the trend.

Attendance jumped by almost 6 per cent between 2023 and 2025, rising from 347.3 million visits to 367.6 million – meaning more than 20 million extra visits in just two years.

The choice for families and visitors has also exploded. The number of UK attractions climbed 8 per cent, from 6,718 in 2023 to 7,242 in 2025.

From theme parks and museums to zoos, aquariums and historic sites, there are now more opportunities than ever to escape for a few hours.

Water parks and zoos and aquariums were the fastest-growing categories, recording increases of 20 per cent and 22 per cent respectively.

Jakob Wahl, President and CEO of IAAPA, said the figures showed that shared experiences continued to matter, even when money was tight.

“Every pound matters,” he said, but the continued growth in visits demonstrated the value people place on spending quality time together and making memories.

The Great British Day Out is also proving to be big business.

UK attractions supported more than 160,000 jobs in 2025, up sharply from 130,600 two years earlier. Their total economic revenue impact also rocketed from £14.6 billion in 2023 to £19.7 billion in 2025.

And Britain's attraction boom could be about to get even bigger.

The planned Universal United Kingdom Resort in Bedford is due to open in 2031 and is expected to deliver almost £50 billion in economic benefit to the UK. The project is also forecast to create 20,000 construction jobs and a further 8,000 permanent positions once open.

The findings arrive ahead of IAAPA Expo Europe 2026, which comes to London this September.

Industry leaders from around the world will gather to showcase the latest innovations and experiences – suggesting the humble British day out is not just surviving the squeeze, but charging ahead.