There’s no way we can mention the importance of UK tourism and not talk about the 2020 COVID pandemic.
The year that tourist attractions were forced to shut their doors, the demand for staycations and domestic tourism skyrocketed when they could reopen. Domestic tourism has always been important to UK visitor attractions as they put big focuses on annual pass holder who may live close by to an attract paying a one off fee for their ticket means that they can be encouraged as they
come back to spend money in catering and retail outlets.
Summer months usually boost visitor attraction numbers with visitors from across Europe and the world spending days out with the family at all manor of attractions. But if you look at visitor numbers all year round domestic tourism is actually popular most of the year with family and friends spending weekends and special occasions visiting attractions. In fact, in more recent years attractions have begun to make money from gifting and experience selling. Country and manor houses selling afternoon tea vouchers, to Zoo and wildlife parks offering ‘meet the animals’ experiences. Visitor attractions are now fully integrated into our ‘gifting culture’ and this only helps to increase attractions popularity and visitor numbers.
The importance of visitor attractions is to capture the customer’s attention so they visit them and explore new places whilst on holiday or having a day out. Regeneration of areas can also be supported if large attractions bring new crowds to that area. For example take Blackpool, it has a ‘Blackpool Pleasure Beach’ which has been drawing in day visitors for years. Spending money in the town on overnight stays if the visitor has travelled, spending on nightlife and food, maybe even exploring other areas close by that they would not have been drawn to if the theme park attraction wasn’t there. It is a great example of how visitor attractions can be a focus point of a location drawing in crowds that may not have ever visited before.
I think it’s safe to say that we all need visits to attractions in our lives whether that summers holidays, weekend breaks or days out with the family. The UK tourism industry is one that thrived before the pandemic and will continue to thrive after it.
If you’re interested in how you can add value to your attraction and increase visitor experience why not book a demo with our team? We can talk you through any current pain points of your existing EPOS solution and show you how to fix them. If your interested fill out the form below and one of our team will be in touch.
