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Executive Summary
The experience economy has become one of the United Kingdom’ s most important economic assets.
Every day, millions of people visit attractions, museums, cultural venues, immersive experiences, live entertainment, heritage sites, sporting venues and destination developments that not only create memorable experiences but also drive investment, create employment, strengthen communities and generate economic prosperity.
Collectively, the UK’ s experience economy contributes an estimated £ 134 billion to the national economy every year and supports around three million jobs, making it one of the country’ s most significant and fastest-evolving sectors.
Yet despite its scale and impact, the sector has historically lacked a single organisation capable of bringing together its diverse ecosystem, championing its contribution to the wider economy and creating opportunities that benefit businesses of every size.
Experience UK exists to fill that role.
As the UK’ s leading leadership organisation for the experience economy, we connect businesses, government, investors, developers, operators, cultural organisations and future talent to unlock growth, champion British excellence and maximise the sector’ s contribution to the UK’ s economy.
Our members design, create, operate and support some of the world’ s most recognised visitor attractions, museums, immersive experiences, cultural destinations, retail environments, live entertainment, leisure developments and place-led regeneration projects. Together, they represent the breadth of British creativity, innovation and operational excellence.
While international trade remains one of our defining strengths, our purpose extends far beyond export support. Experience UK is equally committed to strengthening the domestic experience economy by fostering collaboration, encouraging investment, influencing policy and helping organisations create experiences that transform places, attract visitors and improve quality of life across the United Kingdom.
This strategy sets out our ambition for the period 2027 – 2029.
It provides a clear framework for how Experience UK will grow its influence, strengthen its membership, expand its programmes of activity and deliver measurable economic impact over the next three years. It also establishes the principles that will guide our decisions, investment and priorities, ensuring every initiative contributes to a shared vision for the future of the sector.
At its heart, this strategy recognises that experiences are no longer simply part of the visitor economy— they have become fundamental drivers of economic growth.
From major destination developments such as Universal UK and Puy du Fou UK to the regeneration of town centres through immersive leisure, museums, culture and destination placemaking, experiences are shaping how people live, work, invest and connect.
They stimulate tourism, create employment, support local supply chains, encourage inward investment, strengthen Britain’ s creative industries and showcase UK expertise to international markets.
The opportunity over the next decade is significant.
As government increasingly recognises the importance of the creative industries, tourism, regeneration and advanced manufacturing, Experience UK is uniquely positioned to help shape the conversation and ensure the experience economy receives the recognition it deserves as a strategic contributor to the UK’ s long-term prosperity.
This document therefore represents more than an organisational strategy.
It is a commitment to our members, partners and stakeholders that Experience UK will continue to connect industry, champion British excellence and create opportunities that strengthen both the sector and the wider economy.
By 2029, we intend for Experience UK to be recognised not only as the trusted voice of the UK’ s experience economy, but as one of the organisations helping to shape its future— driving investment, supporting innovation, influencing policy and creating lasting economic and social value across the United Kingdom.
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