At long last, Britain’s gardens are well and truly in bloom, and regardless of our rather unpredictable weather, VisitBritain have revealed that a staggering £7.8 billion was spent by tourists enjoying a garden in the UK, with a large chunk coming from younger visitors.
A VisitBritain study identified that of the 31 million people who tend to visit Britain each year, around a third (11.1 million) enjoy a park or garden, with around 2.4 million aged between 25-34 opposed to just 1.4 million aged between 55-64. There were 2.1 million visits from those aged 35-44 involving parks or gardens, while nearly three-quarters of a million were aged 65+. Overall those aged under-35 were particularly likely to visit a park or garden, with 41 per cent of visits doing so compared to 33 per cent of visits from those aged over 35.
The latest figures confirm that going to a park or garden is one of the most popular activities for our overseas guests, accounting for 36 per cent of all visitors, placing only behind eating out, going to pubs and shopping. It means visitors are surprisingly more likely to spend time in a park or garden than a museum, castle, historic house or art gallery.
Over half of all ‘holiday’ visitors (54%) explore our green surrounds each year, a positive indication that admiration is growing across the world for Britain’s attractive scenery and beautifully crafted gardens. It remains an activity which visitors can enjoy whatever their age group, from Bodnant Gardens with spectacular views across Snowdonia to the intriguing Muncaster in the Lake District or the world famous world-famous historic gardens at Inverewe in the Scottish Highlands. London has also just celebrated 100 years of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and is home to eight Royal Parks and the globally acknowledged UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kew Gardens.
Unsurprisingly the most popular time of year to visit Britain’s gardens is the summer months, with July to September accounting for 4 million of the annual tally. By contrast, just 1.6 million visited gardens in the first quarter of 2011. The reason visitors come here plays a strong role in determining what they do during their trip with tourists on ‘holiday’ making up the bulk of visits (6.4 million) followed a distant second by those here to see their friends and family (3.2 million).
Tourists from France, our largest market, seem to prefer our parks and gardens over any other country with 1.25 million visits, spending £406 million in the process. Visitors from the US are second in the table with 1.23 million visits, but they spend nearly triple the amount of the French during their visits, at around £1.1 billion. Completing the top three are tourists from Germany, 1.15 million were enchanted by our array of natural beauty and also spent more in the UK than top placed France at £629 million.
Sandie Dawe, Chief Executive of VisitBritain said: “We’ve completed three big pieces of research which all indicate that our parks, gardens and natural beauty are a valuable tourism asset, admired across the world and enjoyed by our visitors.
“It’s hugely encouraging to see our gardens are as popular with the younger generation as they are with 55-plus age groups. Post-Olympic Games perceptions of Britain have shifted for the better and time spent in any of our glorious parks is something to be cherished- especially when the sun is out.”
VisitBritain is the national tourism agency, responsible for marketing Britain worldwide & developing Britain’s visitor economy.
Go garden hopping abroad
Fancy returning the favour but with guaranteed sunshine to boot? Sicily is home to some seriously beautiful gardens, as resplendent and splendid as they come, plus it’s a lovely 26°C on average right now. And they may be better known for their stunning beaches and buzzing party vibe, however the Canary Islands also pack a punch when it comes to beautiful botany and gorgeous gardens and parks. Gran Canaria has its Viera y Clavijo Botanical Garden, while tourists in Tenerife in search of tropical plants and a magical setting should head to Jardín de Aclimatación de La Orotava.
Lanzarote has its own unique natural flora and fauna, and its prime garden – The Cactus Garden – symbolises the country’s distinct arid climate and volcanic origin. The wonderfully unusual garden, which is located in the town of Guatiza was one of artist César Manrique’s last works.
Oasis Park in Fuerteventura is truly enormous and houses one of Europe’s largest cactus and tropical plant collections. La Gomera, arguably one of the most stunning islands in the Spanish archipelago, is where you’ll find Vallehermoso Botanical Garden, an area of more than 16,000 square metres and is the place to go for a wide variety of orchids and other exotic flora. Last but certainly not least, La Palma’s Maroparque botanical and animal park in Breña Alta is a firm family favourite and combines a fantastic collection of indigenous plants and tropical species with cheeky monkeys and wee baby wallabies.
For more information on these gardens, click here.
