The British Museum, in London, is once again the most visited attraction in the United Kingdom with 5.8 million tourists
The Association of Major Tourist Attractions, ALVA, has this week published its 2023 ranking of the most visited attractions in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The total number of visits to attractions that are part of ALVA in 2023 was 146.6 million, an increase of 19% compared to the previous year.
OR Wales saw a 25% increase in visitor numbers after joining National Museum at ALVA last year. London saw a 24% increase and the Scotland tied with Northern Ireland: both achieved a 21% increase. The region of England outside London, with the highest annual growth was the East of England, which grew by 11%, followed by West Midlandswith 10%.
Leading the ranking is the British Museum, which welcomed more than 5.8 million people in 2023, an increase of 42% compared to 2022 and which is attributed, in part, to the great success of the exhibition on the history of China in Nineteenth century. . The last time the museum topped this ranking was in 2019, being the third most visited attraction in 2022.
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The second most visited attraction was the Natural History Museum , In London, which surpassed the record of visits: over 5.6 million, with a 22% increase in the number of visitors. The most visited outdoor attraction was the Windsor Great Park, with 5.4 million visits. In 4th place was the unmistakable gallery TateModern, with 4.7 million visits, while the Southbank Center remained in 5th place with an 8% increase to 3.2 million visitors.
Although it only reopened in July last year, it has recently been refurbished National Portrait Gallery In London received more than 1 million visits, ranking 27th on the list, and the Young V&A, a museum aimed at children and families, reopened on 1 July and has since received 405,000 visitors. The largest percentage increase in London occurred from Guildhall Art Gallery which had an increase of 137% after climbing 43 positions in the rankings, while the Royal Albert Hall have returned to near-pre-pandemic numbers of around 1.6 million people, although there will be 12 fewer events in 2023 than in 2019.
In the year of the Coronation, the Westminster Abbey visitors and faithful increased by 49%, welcoming over 1.5 million people (17th place); Windsor Castle recorded an increase of 66%, reaching approximately 1.3 million visits (20th place) and Buckingham Palace, despite being open for visits only 10 weeks a year, during the summer period, received half a million of visitors, with an increase of 75%.
Scotland
In Scotland the most visited free attraction continues to be the National Museum of Scotland, with an increase of 11% and over 2.1 million visits. Then we see the Edinburgh Castle, which was the most visited paid attraction in Scotland, attracting 1.9 million people and ranking 14th. Another popular Scottish attraction is Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, which saw a 32% increase and jumped to 25th place in the rankings, just one place above River Museum – both in Glasgow.
The most popular outdoor attraction in Scotland was the Edinburgh Royal Botanic Garden, which had an increase of 4%, with more than 1 million visits. A Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow rose 40 places to position 70 on the list following the success of the exhibition Cut and run by the acclaimed Banksy. A Glasgow Cathedral, in turn it rose 50 places and the number of visitors increased by 79%. As for the castles of Stirling and Urquhart, the increase was 24% over the year.
northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, the TitanicBelfast continued to be the country’s most visited attraction and, following the refurbishment of its gallery in early 2023, experienced its most successful year since 2012, with visits up 28%. Meanwhile, the unmistakable The road of the giants recorded an increase of 57% and rose 23 positions in the ranking with 662,806 visitors. More on outdoor attractions in Northern Ireland, Carrick-a-Rede recorded an 83% increase in visits.
Wales
In Wales, the most visited attraction was the St. Fagans National History Museum, with 594,990 visits and a 23% increase compared to 2022. Continued National Museum, Cardiff with an increase of 41%.
Other destinations in England
Outside of London, other English attractions that performed well in 2023 were RHS Wisley Garden in 21st place, Stonehenge in 23rd place the famous city baths of Bath and its charming Pump Room restaurant, with more than 1 million visits and an increase of 25%.
Bernard Donoghue OBE, Director of ALVA, commented: “The attractions that are part of ALVA have not yet returned to the same visitor numbers as before the pandemic. While the tax relief for museums, theaters and galleries was a very welcome announcement, there was a missed opportunity to reinstate tax-free shopping for overseas visitors, which would have improved the UK’s international competitiveness.”
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Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
