What Makes More Money For The UK - Glastonbury Festival or The Royal Family?

Muddy fields generate more wealth for the UK tourism industry than the Royal Family.

Well - muddy fields filled with musicians, tents, drug dealers and an assortment of sweaty fans. 

According to the new economic study Wish You Were Here 2015 compiled by the UK Music group, tourism generated by the nation's musical endeavours produced £3.1 billion in 2014. In comparison, it's thought tourists attracted by the nation's Royal Family bring in about £9.3 million annually. 

According to the Wish You Were Herestudy, carried out by Oxford Economics, international music tourism has increased by 39 percent between 2011 and 2014, with 9.5 million people travelling to concerts, live events and festivals in 2014. Each of those travellers contributes an average spend of £751, helping sustain 38,238 full time jobs - a figure up from 24,521 full time roles created by the trade in 2012. 

The cause? Well there are a range of contributing factors. Responding to the survey, Culture Secretary John Whittingdale felt that our international appeal had increased, with UK artists now accounting for one in seven albums sold worldwide. "Festivals like Glastonbury hold an iconic status on the world music scene," added Whittingdale, "and are one of the reasons why international tourism is booming in the UK, drawing in streams of visitors to all parts of the country."

In addition to having iconic slots like Glastonbury (which contributes over £100m annually to the UK economy) and the Isle of White Festival, the UK has an abundance of smaller festivals - with numbers flying in the face of 2012 reports on the "death" of the UK festival.

So what are you waiting for? Grab your whistle and a fresh t-shirt and go in search of a field. It's good for the economy.