The 2018 ‘Heritage and the Economy’ report confirms that the heritage sector plays a crucial part in the English economy, with a total GVA of £29 billion (equivalent to 2% of national GVA) and 459,000 people employed.
Heritage attracts 236.6 million tourists every year, fascinated by the ‘uniqueness’ of places. The source of this distinctiveness is heritage, which shapes people’s perception of places and attracts the concentration of local firms, creative industries and start-ups. Indeed, investments in Historic Environment generally increased local business’ turnovers.
Heritage adds value to properties and the report states that the popularity of historic areas is increasing. English heritage attracted 236.6 million domestic and international tourists in 2016 and generated an estimated £16.9 billion in tourist spend.
Volunteers involved in the heritage sector totalled 616,000 in 2016 (5.7% of the total number of volunteers in England).