The experience economy is gaining momentum and is expected to become a $12 billion industry by 2023. In essence, people are collecting experiences, not possessions. This global trend has huge implications for the tourism sector, especially for the management of visitor attractions. All visitor attractions – whether a world-famous tourist destination, a museum, an amusement park or a local shopping mall – are people-centric and stand to benefit from re-assessing the visitor experience that they offer.

Attractions need to take cognisance of changing trends in what experience-seeking consumers want.  Attractions are competing for people’s time, attention and money, and there are new kinds of attractions emerging all the time: pop-ups, immersive art experiences, adult playgrounds and virtual reality experiences.

There is both an art and a science in running a successful visitor experience or attraction. Understanding the role that ticket yield, dwell time and secondary spend plays, and ensuring the quality and quantity of experience on offer speaks to the visitors needs, is crucial in ensuring a financially sustainable visitor attraction.