The tourism industries alone contribute £90 billion direct business to the UK every year, provide 1.36 million jobs and support over 200,000 businesses. The sports and recreation sectors are similarly multi-billion pound industries involving a large percentage of the UK population. Angling is the largest participatory sport in the UK and worth £4/6 billion per annum to the UK economy. In addition to the spending by UK residents, these industries generate substantial foreign capital – eg through the sale of sporting and recreation equipment, sponsorship and television rights to sporting events, and spending in the UK by foreign tourists. Many of these activities are dependent to some extent upon water. In addition to the obvious water sports of canoeing, sailing, etc – field sports such as football and horse racing are highly dependent upon water related risks, and require sophisticated water management skills and technologies.
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