As a major gathering of climate leaders and change-makers gets underway at the landmark, new data shows how powerful nature-based attractions can be.
Since opening in 2001, the Eden Project has delivered £6.8 billion to the economy of South West income, with a £5.7 billion net gain for Cornwall during that time. This is partly down to the 25 million visitors that have been to the site, 80% of which came from outside the county, spending a total of £8.4 billion.
Each year, the attraction has supported 700 jobs, 430 directly at the institution, and 260 in the wider economy. Further to this, £630 million has been invested in strengthening supply chains to drive revenue across the region and in other areas of England.
Celebrating its 25th birthday last week, the Eden Project is now recognised as one of the most valuable growth assets in the UK as a whole, and shows the widespread appeal of nature-based attractions. Its legacy to date also includes The Bug Lunch — a community gathering through food launched in 2009, which has now connected 120 million people through 1.5 million nationwide events. The development also introduced the first operational deep geothermal power plant to open in Britain since 1986, and claims to have reached one million people through education initiatives (with 750,000 children visiting, or 30,000 per year).
‘Every child in the world dreams of building giant dams, fantastical castles and underground kingdoms,’ said Sir Tim Smit, the Dutch-born British businessman whose vision led to the Eden Project. ‘We humans are imaginative apes. Eden is a simple idea. In the crater of a long dead volcano we found Arthur Conan Doyle’s Lost World. In our case, a fantastic confection of plants, theatre and science fiction design. Our thought was that by Kissing the Great Frog of darkness, it would turn into an Eden princess and we’d live happily ever after.’
Tomorrow, Eden Project will open the doors to Anthropy, the UK’s leading platform focused on improving the future. 2000 delegates will attend are than 200 panels, workshops and more set in the site’s iconic Biomes, with 600 speakers lined up. Key voices include Baroness Sharon White DBE, Professor Juergen Maier CBE (Chair of Great British Energy), Catherine Johnstone CBE (CEO of the Royal Voluntary Service), and Dame Julia Cleverdon DCVO CBE (Chair of the National Lottery Community Fund).
Final tickets are on sale now, which include complete access to the archive from past editions.
‘Anthropy is an event that captures attention, not just here in the South West, but across the nation — something people talk about before it begins, reflect on once it ends and feel inspired by for many months afterwards,’ said Andy Jasper, Eden Project CEO. ‘Its magnitude, its relevance and its ability to convene the people shaping Britain’s future make it unlike any other gathering.
‘Anthropy and Eden share a deeply aligned purpose: to inspire connection, responsibility and positive change,’ he continued. ‘That’s why, as we celebrate 25 years this March, this feels profoundly fitting – a moment where leaders, visionaries and emerging voices come together to inspire and imagine a better United Kingdom.’
