Abstract
Executive Summary
This report examines the economic, health, social and environmental benefits of leisure walking in rural and urban areas in Great Britain. ‘Leisure walking’ is defined as non-routine walks undertaken as a pastime that lasts more than three hours (a leisure day walk) or includes an overnight stay (a tourist day walk). This classification is based on definitions used in the GB Day Visitor Survey and the GB Domestic Tourism Survey and reflects the type of walking typically undertaken by members of the Ramblers’ Association.
The report does not explicitly consider other forms of walking, such as short (less than three hours) non-routine walks undertaken as a pastime or walks undertaken as part of people’s daily routines (often referred to as ‘active travel’). Therefore, the results of this report do not reflect the benefits associated with all forms of walking in Britain.
Leisure walking provides a wide range of benefits to people and economies. Economic benefits are generated from the money people spend while on walking trips, which injects income into local economies, supports jobs and contributes to Gross Value Added (GVA). Walking also improves people's physical and mental health, enhances their social well-being, and promotes pro-environmental behaviour through increased connections with nature.
Key findings
• In 2019, over 500 million leisure walking trips (lasting > 3 hours) were made in Britain.
• Of these, 40% were made in rural locations and 60% in urban areas.
• During these trips, walkers spent over £23 billion, of which £9 billion in rural areas and £14 billion in urban areas.
• 73% of this expenditure is made in day visits, as opposed to overnight tourist visits.
• Walker’s expenditures supported the creation of 191,000 (FTE) jobs.
• Walker’s expenditures contributed nearly £10 billion Gross Value Added to the economy.
• 94% of people agree that walking is good for their physical health, 92% that it’s good for their mental health, and 85% that it makes them feel closer to nature.
• Regular walking saves £40 billion per year in health costs.
• Walking enhances people’s social well-being such as enabling relaxation and aesthetic appreciation, valued at over £32 billion.
Investment in walking infrastructure
A review of British policies and programmes that invest in walking infrastructure finds that whilst public investments in active travel have increased over the past decade, investment to support leisure walking has been limited. Examples of investments to promote leisure walking include support to create and enhance national trails. However, there is limited investment in infrastructure for leisure walking, particularly in areas near where vulnerable communities reside.
The extent of walking in rural and urban areas of Britain.
In this report, we draw on data from the GB Day Visitor Survey and the GB Domestic Tourism Survey to estimate the number of people walking for leisure in Britain. In 2019, 524.8 million walking trips (lasting more than three hours) were made in Britain, of which 212.9 million (40.6%) were to rural locations and 311.9 million (59.4%) to urban locations (Table 1). Most of these trips (449.5 million) were leisure day visits, with the remaining 75.3 million trips being tourist trips that included an overnight stay.
The economic impact of leisure walking in rural and urban areas of Britain.
During these trips, walkers spent £23,276 million, of which £9,239 million (39.7%) was spent in rural locations and £14,037 million (60.3%) in urban locations (Table 1). Most of the expenditures were made during leisure day visits (£17,089 million: 73.4%), with £6,187 million (26.6%) made during tourist visits.
Drawing on the approach used in ‘Tourism Satellite Accounting’, it is possible to estimate the number of jobs supported by walker's expenditures, as well as the extent to which that expenditure contributed to Gross Value Added within the economy. In 2019, the money spent by leisure walkers contributed to the creation of 245,000 jobs (or 191,500 Full-Time Equivalent jobs). Of these, 97,200 jobs (77.9%) were supported by walks undertaken in rural areas and 148,700 jobs (22.1%) from walks in urban areas (Table 1). The expenditures of walkers also contributed £9,659 million of Gross Value Added (GVA) to the British economy, of which £3,823 million was generated from walking in rural areas and £5,836 million from walking in urban areas (Table 1).
Table 1: Summary of the economic impacts of walking trips made to rural and urban locations in Britain.
Leisure Day visitors Tourist visitors All visitors
Rural Urban All Rural Urban All Rural Urban All
Annual number of visits involving walking (millions) 183.9 265.6 449.5 29.0 46.3 75.3 212.9 311.9 524.8
Annual spend on visits involving walking (£ million) 6,857 10,232 17,089 2,382 3,804 6,187 9,239 14,037 23,276
Number of jobs supported ('000) 62.6 93.4 156.0 34.6 55.3 90.0 97.2 148.7 245.9
Number of FTE jobs supported ('000) 48.8 72.9 121.7 26.9 42.9 69.8 75.7 115.8 191.5
GVA (£ million) 2,573 3,839 6,411 1,250 1,997 3,248 3,823 5,836 9,659
The physical and mental health benefits of leisure walking
A review of the literature was undertaken to examine the health benefits derived from leisure walking. The ‘People and Nature Survey’ survey found that 94.4% of people interviewed either ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ that walking was ‘good for my physical health’, 91.9% agreed that walking was ‘good for my mental health’ and 85.3% that they felt ‘closer to nature’ (Natural England, 2022). Further, walking was considered to provide greater ‘physical health and exercise’ and ‘mental health and well-being’ benefits’ compared to other outdoor activities (Figure 1).
Figure 1:Well-being benefits of activities undertaken in rural areas.
Source: People and Nature Survey (Natural England, 2022)
Regular walking was also found to reduce the risk of physical and mental problems. Based on the assumption that 26.8 million people in Britain regularly walk (i.e., at least twice in the previous 28 days), it was estimated that the overall cost savings associated with reduced health problems was £40,086 million per annum. Most of these savings were associated with reduced mental health problems (£34,138 million per annum). In terms of physical health benefits, regular ‘walking for leisure’ generates the greatest benefits from reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes (£2,720 million per annum) and reduced risk of dementia (£2,498 million per annum). Regular ‘walking for leisure’ is, however, estimated to add an extra cost of £1,477 million per annum associated with increased risk of sports injury.
The social well-being benefits of leisure walking
Walking can provide a range of social well-being benefits to people such as enabling relaxation and aesthetic appreciation. Whilst such benefits generally do not command a market ‘price’, non-market valuation methods can be used to assess the monetary value of these social benefits. It is estimated that leisure walking generates annual social well-being benefits worth £32,798 million. Of this, £13,305 million are linked to walks in rural areas and £19,493 million to walks in urban areas.
The environmental benefits of leisure walking
Walking can be associated with a wide range of environmental benefits, including reductions in carbon emissions, air pollution, noise pollution, and congestion, but only if it replaces other forms of (motorized) travel, such as "active travel" when people walk rather than drive for their daily commutes. Leisure walking, on the other hand, tends not to replace motorized travel for existing journeys and therefore does not achieve the environmental benefits associated with reduced car use. In fact, people often drive to locations to go on leisure walks, which can contribute to the various environmental impacts outlined above. However, people who go for leisure walks, particularly in rural areas, are more likely to engage in pro-environmental behaviours because they tend to have a closer affinity with nature.
Policy recommendations
This report highlights that recent policies by the UK and devolved administrations are failing to adequately protect and enhance opportunities for leisure walking. To fill this gap, the Ramblers Association have proposed a new ‘Access to Nature’ Bill, which aims to ensure that opportunities for leisure walking are available to all and that more people are encouraged to partake in it.
The evidence presented in this report not only supports the provisions in the proposed Bill, but may be used demonstrate the range of economic, social, health and environmental benefits that would be generated if opportunities for leisure walking were expanded. We, therefore, urge the UK and devolved administrations to review their policies and provisions for walking to ensure that there is adequate support in place to support leisure walking.
This report examines the economic, health, social and environmental benefits of leisure walking in rural and urban areas in Great Britain. ‘Leisure walking’ is defined as non-routine walks undertaken as a pastime that lasts more than three hours (a leisure day walk) or includes an overnight stay (a tourist day walk). This classification is based on definitions used in the GB Day Visitor Survey and the GB Domestic Tourism Survey and reflects the type of walking typically undertaken by members of the Ramblers’ Association.
The report does not explicitly consider other forms of walking, such as short (less than three hours) non-routine walks undertaken as a pastime or walks undertaken as part of people’s daily routines (often referred to as ‘active travel’). Therefore, the results of this report do not reflect the benefits associated with all forms of walking in Britain.
Leisure walking provides a wide range of benefits to people and economies. Economic benefits are generated from the money people spend while on walking trips, which injects income into local economies, supports jobs and contributes to Gross Value Added (GVA). Walking also improves people's physical and mental health, enhances their social well-being, and promotes pro-environmental behaviour through increased connections with nature.
Key findings
• In 2019, over 500 million leisure walking trips (lasting > 3 hours) were made in Britain.
• Of these, 40% were made in rural locations and 60% in urban areas.
• During these trips, walkers spent over £23 billion, of which £9 billion in rural areas and £14 billion in urban areas.
• 73% of this expenditure is made in day visits, as opposed to overnight tourist visits.
• Walker’s expenditures supported the creation of 191,000 (FTE) jobs.
• Walker’s expenditures contributed nearly £10 billion Gross Value Added to the economy.
• 94% of people agree that walking is good for their physical health, 92% that it’s good for their mental health, and 85% that it makes them feel closer to nature.
• Regular walking saves £40 billion per year in health costs.
• Walking enhances people’s social well-being such as enabling relaxation and aesthetic appreciation, valued at over £32 billion.
Investment in walking infrastructure
A review of British policies and programmes that invest in walking infrastructure finds that whilst public investments in active travel have increased over the past decade, investment to support leisure walking has been limited. Examples of investments to promote leisure walking include support to create and enhance national trails. However, there is limited investment in infrastructure for leisure walking, particularly in areas near where vulnerable communities reside.
The extent of walking in rural and urban areas of Britain.
In this report, we draw on data from the GB Day Visitor Survey and the GB Domestic Tourism Survey to estimate the number of people walking for leisure in Britain. In 2019, 524.8 million walking trips (lasting more than three hours) were made in Britain, of which 212.9 million (40.6%) were to rural locations and 311.9 million (59.4%) to urban locations (Table 1). Most of these trips (449.5 million) were leisure day visits, with the remaining 75.3 million trips being tourist trips that included an overnight stay.
The economic impact of leisure walking in rural and urban areas of Britain.
During these trips, walkers spent £23,276 million, of which £9,239 million (39.7%) was spent in rural locations and £14,037 million (60.3%) in urban locations (Table 1). Most of the expenditures were made during leisure day visits (£17,089 million: 73.4%), with £6,187 million (26.6%) made during tourist visits.
Drawing on the approach used in ‘Tourism Satellite Accounting’, it is possible to estimate the number of jobs supported by walker's expenditures, as well as the extent to which that expenditure contributed to Gross Value Added within the economy. In 2019, the money spent by leisure walkers contributed to the creation of 245,000 jobs (or 191,500 Full-Time Equivalent jobs). Of these, 97,200 jobs (77.9%) were supported by walks undertaken in rural areas and 148,700 jobs (22.1%) from walks in urban areas (Table 1). The expenditures of walkers also contributed £9,659 million of Gross Value Added (GVA) to the British economy, of which £3,823 million was generated from walking in rural areas and £5,836 million from walking in urban areas (Table 1).
Table 1: Summary of the economic impacts of walking trips made to rural and urban locations in Britain.
Leisure Day visitors Tourist visitors All visitors
Rural Urban All Rural Urban All Rural Urban All
Annual number of visits involving walking (millions) 183.9 265.6 449.5 29.0 46.3 75.3 212.9 311.9 524.8
Annual spend on visits involving walking (£ million) 6,857 10,232 17,089 2,382 3,804 6,187 9,239 14,037 23,276
Number of jobs supported ('000) 62.6 93.4 156.0 34.6 55.3 90.0 97.2 148.7 245.9
Number of FTE jobs supported ('000) 48.8 72.9 121.7 26.9 42.9 69.8 75.7 115.8 191.5
GVA (£ million) 2,573 3,839 6,411 1,250 1,997 3,248 3,823 5,836 9,659
The physical and mental health benefits of leisure walking
A review of the literature was undertaken to examine the health benefits derived from leisure walking. The ‘People and Nature Survey’ survey found that 94.4% of people interviewed either ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ that walking was ‘good for my physical health’, 91.9% agreed that walking was ‘good for my mental health’ and 85.3% that they felt ‘closer to nature’ (Natural England, 2022). Further, walking was considered to provide greater ‘physical health and exercise’ and ‘mental health and well-being’ benefits’ compared to other outdoor activities (Figure 1).
Figure 1:Well-being benefits of activities undertaken in rural areas.
Source: People and Nature Survey (Natural England, 2022)
Regular walking was also found to reduce the risk of physical and mental problems. Based on the assumption that 26.8 million people in Britain regularly walk (i.e., at least twice in the previous 28 days), it was estimated that the overall cost savings associated with reduced health problems was £40,086 million per annum. Most of these savings were associated with reduced mental health problems (£34,138 million per annum). In terms of physical health benefits, regular ‘walking for leisure’ generates the greatest benefits from reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes (£2,720 million per annum) and reduced risk of dementia (£2,498 million per annum). Regular ‘walking for leisure’ is, however, estimated to add an extra cost of £1,477 million per annum associated with increased risk of sports injury.
The social well-being benefits of leisure walking
Walking can provide a range of social well-being benefits to people such as enabling relaxation and aesthetic appreciation. Whilst such benefits generally do not command a market ‘price’, non-market valuation methods can be used to assess the monetary value of these social benefits. It is estimated that leisure walking generates annual social well-being benefits worth £32,798 million. Of this, £13,305 million are linked to walks in rural areas and £19,493 million to walks in urban areas.
The environmental benefits of leisure walking
Walking can be associated with a wide range of environmental benefits, including reductions in carbon emissions, air pollution, noise pollution, and congestion, but only if it replaces other forms of (motorized) travel, such as "active travel" when people walk rather than drive for their daily commutes. Leisure walking, on the other hand, tends not to replace motorized travel for existing journeys and therefore does not achieve the environmental benefits associated with reduced car use. In fact, people often drive to locations to go on leisure walks, which can contribute to the various environmental impacts outlined above. However, people who go for leisure walks, particularly in rural areas, are more likely to engage in pro-environmental behaviours because they tend to have a closer affinity with nature.
Policy recommendations
This report highlights that recent policies by the UK and devolved administrations are failing to adequately protect and enhance opportunities for leisure walking. To fill this gap, the Ramblers Association have proposed a new ‘Access to Nature’ Bill, which aims to ensure that opportunities for leisure walking are available to all and that more people are encouraged to partake in it.
The evidence presented in this report not only supports the provisions in the proposed Bill, but may be used demonstrate the range of economic, social, health and environmental benefits that would be generated if opportunities for leisure walking were expanded. We, therefore, urge the UK and devolved administrations to review their policies and provisions for walking to ensure that there is adequate support in place to support leisure walking.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Ramblers Association |
| Commissioning body | Ramblers |
| Number of pages | 47 |
| Publication status | Published - 2024 |
Keywords
- economic value
- health benefits
- Walking
