Why benchmarking matters for attractions
Visitor attractions compete for time and spend as much as for visitors. Knowing how your venue compares – on attendance, spend per head, satisfaction and operational throughput – is the foundation for improving performance in a sector where margins are tight and expectations are high.
The 2027 benchmarking cycle brings together data from across the leisure and attractions sector to give participating organisations a clear, comparable view of where they stand.
What we measure
The benchmark covers the metrics that tell the truth about an attraction's performance:
- Attendance and conversion – visitors through the gate and the proportion of potential visitors who come
- Spend per head – secondary income per visitor across retail, food and drink and experiences
- Guest satisfaction – the experience as reported by visitors, consistently measured
- Operational throughput – how efficiently the venue moves, serves and satisfies its guests
Together, these show not just how busy an attraction is, but how well it turns attendance into income and visits into advocacy.
How organisations participate
Participation is confidential. Organisations submit operating data through a secure, standardised template, and receive a tailored comparison against peers of similar type and scale. No organisation is named in another's report.
What you get back
Each participating organisation receives:
- A confidential comparison against the sector and against peer groups
- A clear view of where they lead and where they lag
- Practical, prioritised recommendations based on the gaps the data reveals
- An honest, evidence-based foundation for investment and pricing decisions
Why it is worth doing
The attractions that benchmark consistently make better decisions – not because the data is clever, but because knowing where you stand is the first step to knowing where to go. You cannot improve what you do not measure.
How to take part
Benchmarking opens to the MAVORA Community each cycle. Join the community to be notified when participation begins, or contact us directly to discuss taking part.