Walking and hiking are the activities that contribute the biggest spend among international and domestic day and overnight tourists in Britain.
Long walks and hikes bring in £1.8bn and road or mountain biking generate £520 million in spend, compared to golf which generates £456 million.
The figures, released today by VisitEngland, VisitScotland and Visit Wales, reveal for the first time the value of tourism spend generated by a variety of leisure activities.
The research is designed to show which different activities motivate a stay in Britain.
"Trips motivated by activities such as walking and cycling generate a massive associated spend; as people are willing to travel around the country to take part in them and that is something businesses can tap into to drive growth; by offering new and exciting experiences," said James Berresford, chief executive VisitEngland.
The full list was as follows:
Long walks/hikes £1.8bn
Cycling or mountain biking contributes £520m
Golf £456m
Watersports £317m
Watching wildlife/bird watching £306m (domestic only)
Fishing £274m
Meanwhile, the research also showed the breakdown in spend of other motivators for visits to the UK.
Visitor attractions £3.8bn (domestic only)
Attending a live sporting event £3.2bn
Attending live music event/festival £3.1bn
Visiting historic buildings £2.2bn
Sightseeing (in a town or city) £2bn
Visiting museums/art galleries £1.9bn
Attending the theatre £1.8bn
Visiting parks/gardens £1.8bn
Visiting zoos/aquariums £1.4bn
Sightseeing (exploring the coast) £1.4bn
Sightseeing (exploring the countryside) £1.2bn
