Christie & Co has released its inaugural Leisure Market Review 2025, providing a detailed assessment of transaction trends, operational challenges, and investment dynamics across the UK’s leisure sector, including holiday parks, marinas, and visitor attractions.
The report reflects on activity during the first half of 2025 and offers insight into what industry professionals might expect for the remainder of the year.
According to the report, investor confidence in the leisure sector has remained strong despite ongoing economic and political uncertainty.
Christie & Co observed that the number of offers made on leisure businesses more than doubled in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
In addition, the number of deals agreed in this timeframe tripled, indicating robust transactional activity and sustained interest in high-quality, well-operated assets.
The report identifies several key trends shaping the sector. Consolidation continues through mergers and acquisitions, and operators are increasingly using sale-and-leaseback strategies to access capital.
However, the report also highlights persistent operational challenges, such as inflationary pressures and changing customer expectations.
Operators are responding by refining their offerings to defend pricing and maintain loyalty, often by enhancing guest experiences and integrating sustainability or tech-forward features.
Jon Patrick, director and head of leisure & development at Christie & Co, said:
“The launch of our first Leisure Market Review provides timely insight into a sector that continues to evolve in the face of shifting economic headwinds.”
”Despite ongoing challenges, we’ve seen remarkable resilience and a clear uptick in transactional activity in early 2025, particularly for high-performing assets with opportunities to diversify their income streams. The appetite from investors remains solid, and we are optimistic about the continued steady growth of the sector.”
The review breaks down performance and outlooks across different subsectors. For holiday and residential parks, there are early signs of market recovery. Buyer interest remains focused on static-led parks with strong occupancy and reliable cash flow.
In the marina segment, large-scale sites with more than 200 berths and scope for diversification continue to attract interest, especially from private equity and multi-site operators.
However, high development costs and site constraints remain significant barriers to entry, encouraging consolidation among existing players.
Additionally, visitor attractions are adapting to shifting consumer preferences amid ongoing cost-of-living pressures. There is increasing demand for value-driven, sustainable, and immersive experiences.
These changes are drawing a broad pool of potential buyers, from corporate groups and lifestyle investors to high-net-worth individuals and charitable organizations.
For business owners in the outdoor hospitality industry, the report signals continued buyer appetite for well-managed assets, particularly those that demonstrate income diversity and scalability.
Operators seeking to attract capital or prepare for a sale may benefit from aligning their offerings with investor priorities, such as experiential offerings, operational efficiency, and opportunities for revenue expansion.
The Leisure Market Review 2025 is available at: christie.com/sectors/leisure/leisure-market-review-2025.
Featured image by Christie & Co