London attractions dominated a list of Britain’s most popular tourist sites
and the capital received an impressive 12 per cent increase in visitors,
perhaps partly an effect from a well-received 2012 Olympics.
The British Museum received 20 per cent more visitors than in 2012, with
collections featuring everything from Aztec gold to artefacts from Pompeii
and Herculaneum. The museum has been Britain’s most popular attraction for
the last seven years.
London attractions made up the 12 most visited sites in Britain – all of which
are members of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions - based on
numbers through the doors in 2013.
The Natural History Museum was the third most popular attraction, followed by
the Tate Modern, even though visitors to the art gallery were actually down
by eight per cent on 2012.
Kensington’s much-loved venues, the Science Museum and the V&A, came next, both accruing more than 3m visitors over the year.
The National Museum of Scotland, in Edinburgh, was the most popular attraction outside of London, diverting the attention of 1.77m visitors from the capital.
Overall, visits to British attractions were up six per cent, with England and Scotland both seeing a five per cent increase.
Unusually good summer weather certainly helped contribute to an eight per cent rise in the number of people enjoying Britain’s outdoor attractions.
Chester Zoo was the most popular attraction in England outside of London, and the opening of the Tiger Territory enclosure at the London Zoo helped bring a 26 per cent increase in numbers through its gates. The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew also had something to celebrate, pulling in 29 per cent more visitors than in 2012.
Other big increases in visitors were seen at the National Railway Museum (+30.1%), Portsmouth Historic Dockyard (+55%), the Churchill War Rooms (+38%) and the HMS Victory (+40%).
Bernard Donoghue, director of ALVA, said: “2014 is sure to be a momentous year seeing the 450th anniversary of the birth of Shakespeare, therefore we are delighted that Shakespeare's Globe, London and the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford upon Avon, along with the South Bank Centre, London, are ALVA's newest members."
Helen Grant, Tourism Minister, said: "The UK has a huge amount to offer tourists, from world-class museums, fantastic sport, great theatre and warm, welcoming people.
"It is fantastic news for the tourism sector that our top attractions received a boost in visitor numbers in 2013 and the Government will continue to support the industry and promote Britain to the world as a great place to visit and do business with."
The top ten attractions
Kensington’s much-loved venues, the Science Museum and the V&A, came next, both accruing more than 3m visitors over the year.
The National Museum of Scotland, in Edinburgh, was the most popular attraction outside of London, diverting the attention of 1.77m visitors from the capital.
Overall, visits to British attractions were up six per cent, with England and Scotland both seeing a five per cent increase.
Unusually good summer weather certainly helped contribute to an eight per cent rise in the number of people enjoying Britain’s outdoor attractions.
Chester Zoo was the most popular attraction in England outside of London, and the opening of the Tiger Territory enclosure at the London Zoo helped bring a 26 per cent increase in numbers through its gates. The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew also had something to celebrate, pulling in 29 per cent more visitors than in 2012.
Other big increases in visitors were seen at the National Railway Museum (+30.1%), Portsmouth Historic Dockyard (+55%), the Churchill War Rooms (+38%) and the HMS Victory (+40%).
Bernard Donoghue, director of ALVA, said: “2014 is sure to be a momentous year seeing the 450th anniversary of the birth of Shakespeare, therefore we are delighted that Shakespeare's Globe, London and the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford upon Avon, along with the South Bank Centre, London, are ALVA's newest members."
Helen Grant, Tourism Minister, said: "The UK has a huge amount to offer tourists, from world-class museums, fantastic sport, great theatre and warm, welcoming people.
"It is fantastic news for the tourism sector that our top attractions received a boost in visitor numbers in 2013 and the Government will continue to support the industry and promote Britain to the world as a great place to visit and do business with."
The top ten attractions
|
Attraction
|
Total visits
|
|---|---|
|
British Museum
|
6,701,036 (+20%)
|
|
National Gallery
|
6,031,574 (+14%)
|
|
Natural History Museum
|
5,356,884 (+6.7%)
|
|
Tate Modern
|
4,884,939 (-8%)
|
|
Science Museum, South Kensington (SMG)
|
3,316,000 (+10.9%)
|
|
V&A (South Kensington)
|
3,290,500 (+1.8%)
|
|
Tower of London (HRP)
|
2,894,698 (+18.4%)
|
|
Somerset House Trust
|
2,398,066 (-)
|
|
St Paul’s Cathedral
|
2,138,130 (+19%)
|
|
Westminster Abbey
|
2,020,637 (+13.8%)
|
|
National Portrait Gallery
|
2,014,636 (-4%)
|
|
Old Royal Naval College Greenwich
|
1,803,477 (+1%)
|
|
National Museum of Scotland (National Museums Scotland)
|
1,768,090 (-7%)
|
|
British Library
|
1,475,382 (+4.3%)
|
|
National Maritime Museum (RMG)
|
1,437,725 (+27%)
|
|
Edinburgh Castle (Historic Scotland)
|
1,420,027 (+15%)
|
|
Chester Zoo
|
1,409,249 (-)
|
|
Tate Britain
|
1,378,272 (-10%)
|
|
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
|
1,324,499 (+29.4%)
|
|
ZSL London Zoo
|
1,294,483 (+26.4%) |
No comments:
Post a Comment