Arts Exports — How Valuable are the Visible Invisibles?

Abstract

Now we know what we have believed for some time — the arts are big business and contribute significantly to overseas earnings. In his report for the Policy Studies Institute, The Economic Importance of the Arts in Britain, John Myerscough demonstrates that the arts are Britain’s fourth largest invisible exports earner. At £4 billion a year, the ‘invisible’ arts are ahead of highly ‘visible’ motor-cars.