“Escapism Economy” booms as Grant Thornton finds immersive attractions generate £7.4bn in spending
- Immersive attractions including ABBA Voyage, The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience and Monopoly Lifesized generate £7.4bn in spending and £3.9bn in gross value added (GVA) to the economy, according to new economic modelling by Grant Thornton
- 31% of Britons attended an immersive experience in the last 12 months, equivalent to 17 million adults
- Academic analysis from Dr Hang-Yee Chan and Dr Ozlem Tetik, professors at King’s College London, suggests that experience-focused consumption could grow by £23bn over the next five years
- See the full report
People seeking escapism, face-to-face interaction and shared cultural moments are driving a boom in the Experience Economy, according to new research from Grant Thornton UK.
The Experience Economy Index is a new research programme from Grant Thornton, produced in partnership with Experience UK and Dr Hang-Yee Chan and Dr Ozlem Tetik of King’s College London.
The ongoing programme will track trends and the economic contribution of the experience economy, changing consumer behaviour and where the sector is heading next.
Immersion Experiences economic contribution
According to the inaugural report, a rapidly growing part of the experience economy is ‘immersion’, where audiences interact, participate or move through a specially designed environment.
A survey of 4,000 consumers carried out for the report reveals that 31% of Britons attended an immersive experience in the last 12 months, equivalent to 17 million adults*.
Grant Thornton carried out economic modelling of immersive experiences across the UK – from ABBA Voyage and The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience to Monopoly Lifesized and Frameless – estimating this part of the experience economy generated £7.4bn in spending in the last 12 months, including the wider economic activity generated through supply chains and employee spending. This contributed a total of £3.9bn in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the economy and supported around 47,600 full-time equivalent jobs.
Importantly for regional growth, Grant Thornton’s economic modelling shows that immersive experiences contribute to economies across the UK, generating £154m in GVA in the North West, £201m in Scotland and £510m in Northern Ireland.
The report found those who attended an immersive experience spend an average of £210 on the experience overall, with a majority staying nearby overnight or making a specific trip to attend. Once there, more than a third ate or drank at local businesses, almost a third went shopping locally and a quarter used local taxis or public transport.
Tom Middleton, Economic Consulting Partner at Grant Thornton UK, said:
“We’ve always loved a great experience – from Glastonbury and the theatre to visitor attractions and Oasis. But as AI and digital technology become an increasingly important part of how we live, work and do business, the value of shared, in-person experiences is growing too.
“The impact of the Experience Economy ripples far beyond traditionally experience-led sectors, extending into financial services, travel, hospitality, retail, technology and infrastructure.”
Growing appetite for experience and human connection
More broadly across the experience economy, ONS data analysis reveals that consumer spending in all experience-related categories was worth at least £206bn in 2025, equivalent to 11.7% of total expenditure. Contributing researchers suggest that experience-focused consumption could reach 13% by 2031, an increase of around £23bn in today’s prices***.
Consumer research**** carried out for the report found that 38% of UK adults are prioritising experiences to create lasting memories, 36% to spend quality time with loved ones and 25% to enjoy time away from everyday routines.
Two in five (40%) say digital overload is making them more likely to prioritise experiences where they can enjoy themselves and feel more present.
Grant Thornton research found that 40% of people in the UK are increasingly prioritising spending on experiences over material things, rising to 54% among 18- to 34-year-olds.
These trends could be reinforced by the rise of AI and digital technology, increasing the value of experiences that are physical, social and difficult to replicate digitally.
Dr Hang-Yee Chan and Dr Ozlem Tetik, professors at King’s College London, said:
“The experience versus material preference gap is likely to widen further as younger, more experience-oriented generations gain spending power. Separately, rising AI adoption may increase, rather than reduce, demand for face-to-face, human-mediated experiences, as live and shared moments gain relative value precisely because they cannot be automated.”
How experiences can reshape business
The report suggests that businesses across the economy can learn from the Experience Economy to create more valuable and lasting engagement with customers.
Rather than focusing solely on the transaction, businesses can create more valuable customer engagement by making interactions more memorable, accessible and connected across the wider customer journey.
Rob Turner, Consulting Partner at Grant Thornton UK, said:
“There is a lot that businesses can learn from the way the experience economy engages people – from creating more memorable interactions to building stronger loyalty and connecting with customers across the whole journey.
“For businesses, the opportunity is both to participate in the Experience Economy itself and to apply its lessons across the wider business ecosystem, using the principles of experience to create more meaningful and valuable engagement with customers.”
Ian Clappison, CEO at Experience UK, said:
“The scale of these findings confirms that the Experience Economy is not a niche or passing trend. It is a major engine of economic growth, supporting thousands of jobs, strengthening destinations and generating valuable additional spending across hospitality, retail, transport and tourism.
“The UK has an extraordinary ecosystem of creators, operators, designers and technology businesses producing experiences that are admired around the world. As people increasingly seek meaningful, shared and memorable moments, the opportunity for this sector will only grow.
“We now need the Experience Economy to be fully recognised in economic and industrial policy, with the right support for investment, skills, innovation and international growth. Harnessed effectively, it can help revitalise our high streets and communities, attract visitors and investment, and reinforce the UK’s position as a global leader in creating world-class experiences.”