A new ranking of the UK's most popular attractions

The Association of Leading Tourist Attractions, ALVA, released this week 2023 ranking of the most visited tourist attractions In England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The total number of visits to attractions that are part of ALVA in 2023 reached 146.6 million – an increase of 19% compared to the previous year.

Hey Wales There was a 25% increase in visitors after joining National Museum To ALVA last year. London It saw an increase of 24% Scotland draw with northern Ireland: Both achieved a 21% increase. region England Outside of London, the East of England recorded the highest annual growth rate, growing by 11%, followed by… West Midlandsby 10%.

He leads the rankings The British Museumwhich welcomed more than 5.8 million people in 2023 – an increase of 42% compared to 2022 which is partly due to its great success. Exhibition on the history of China in the nineteenth century. The last time the museum topped this ranking was in 2019, making it the third most visited attraction in 2022.

Tate, Southbank and more

The second most visited attraction was Natural History Museum, in london, Which broke the record for the number of visits – more than 5.6 million visits, an increase of 22% in the number of visitors. It was the most visited outdoor attraction Windsor Great Park, With 5.4 million visits. In fourth place was the unmistakable exhibition Tate Modern, With 4.7 million visits, instead Southbank Centre It remained in fifth place with an increase of 8% to 3.2 million visitors.

Although it only reopened in July last year, it has recently been refurbished National Portrait Gallery in London It received more than a million visits, ranking 27th on the list, and Young F&AA museum aimed at children and families reopened on July 1 and has since welcomed 405,000 visitors. The largest percentage increase in London was from Guildhall Art Gallery Which achieved an increase of 137% after rising 43 places in the table, while Royal Albert Hall Their numbers are back to pre-pandemic numbers of about 1.6 million people, although there will be 12 fewer events in 2023 than in 2019.

In the year of coronation Westminster Abbey There was a 49% increase in the number of visitors and faithful, receiving more than 1.5 million people (17th place); Hey Windsor Castle An increase of 66%, reaching about 1.3 million visits (20th place). Buckingham PalaceAlthough it was open for visits for only 10 weeks a year, during the summer it received half a million visitors, an increase of 75%.

Scotland

In Scotland, it continues to be the most visited free attraction National Museum of ScotlandAn increase of 11% and more than 2.1 million visits. Then we see Edinburgh Castle, It was the most visited paid attraction in Scotland, welcoming 1.9 million people and ranking 14th. Another popular Scottish attraction is Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museumwhich witnessed an increase of 32% and jumped to 25th place in the ranking, that is, only one place above the position Riverside Museum -Both in Glasgow.

It was the most popular outdoor attraction in Scotland Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Which saw a 4% increase, with more than one million visits. a Modern Art Gallery Glasgow rose 40 places to 70th on the list following the success of the exhibition Cut and run Written by the famous Banksy. a Glasgow Cathedral, In contrast, it rose 50 places and achieved a 79% increase in visitors. As for the castles Sterling that it UrquhartThe increase was 24% per year.

northern Ireland

in Northern Ireland, Titanic Belfast It remained the country's most visited attraction, and after renovating its gallery in early 2023, had its most successful year since 2012, with a 28% increase in visits. At the same time, it is unambiguous Giant's Causeway It achieved a 57% increase and rose 23 places on the list with 662,806 visitors. We're still talking about outdoor attractions in Northern Ireland, Carrick Reddy Saw an 83% increase in visits.

Wales

In Wales, the most visited attraction is St Fagans National History Museum, With 594,990 visits, an increase of 23% compared to 2022. It was followed by Cardiff National Museum An increase of 41%.

Other destinations in England

Outside of London, other English attractions that performed well in 2023 were: RHS Garden Wesley In 21st place, Stonehenge In the 23rd place and famous spas in the city Bath and the charming Pump Room restaurantWith more than one million visits, an increase of 25%.

Bernard Donoghue, Director of ALVA, commented: “The attractions that are part of ALVA have not yet returned to the same number of visitors as before the pandemic. While tax relief for museums, theaters and galleries was a very welcome announcement, there was a missed opportunity to restore purchase tax relief for foreign visitors, which would have improved the UK's international competitiveness.

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