Benchmark Survey reveals key challenges and priorities in 2026

A new industry benchmark report, released in March 2026, reveals the key challenges and priorities for UK zoos and wildlife attractions. Based on responses from 31 attractions across the UK, the survey highlights rising operating costs, increasing pressure on commercial performance, and the growing importance of visitor experience. These factors underscore a sector adapting to a more demanding operational environment.

The UK Zoo & Wildlife Attraction Benchmark Survey 2026, commissioned by n-gage.io and shared with organisations across the BIAZA network, provides a snapshot of current priorities, pressures, and strategic direction across the industry. While organisations remain strongly committed to conservation, education, and public engagement, financial and operational realities are increasingly shaping decision-making.

Rising Operational Costs and Financial Pressures

The survey clearly indicates the significant cost pressures facing the sector. Rising staff costs were cited by the majority of respondents as the biggest operational challenge, followed by increasing energy costs and the impact of weather volatility on trading days.

These pressures are particularly significant for wildlife attractions, which often operate large outdoor estates with high fixed costs and limited flexibility. Consequently, many organisations are placing greater emphasis on improving revenue per visitor rather than solely relying on increasing attendance.

• Most respondents stated that increasing spend per head is now a critical or very important priority.
• There is a growing focus on memberships, events, paid experiences, food and beverage, and retail to boost revenue.

Enhancing the Visitor Journey and Experience

The visitor journey remains an area of significant opportunity for improvement. Common friction points affecting the quality of the visit include:

• Weather resilience
• Food and beverage capacity
• Wayfinding
• Real-time visitor information

Addressing these issues is increasingly important as attractions seek to encourage longer stays, higher spend, and repeat visitation.

Embracing Digital Capabilities and Integration

Digital capability is another evolving area within the sector. Most organisations reported having core systems such as ticketing, EPOS, and email marketing in place. However, only a small number described their systems as fully integrated. The main barriers to making better use of digital tools were identified as:

• Internal capacity
• Cost
• System complexity

Diversifying Income with Events and Experiences

There is growing interest in events and paid experiences as a way to diversify income. However, operational capacity and staffing constraints were identified as the main factors limiting growth in these areas.

Sector Insight from n-gage.io's Founder

Further Discussion and Report Access

The findings from the survey will be discussed at the BIAZA Annual Conference in June 2026, where the report will form part of wider conversations about the direction of the sector.

The full report is available to download from the n-gage.io website.