The British Museum was the most visited tourist attraction in the United Kingdom in 2023, reporting around 5.8 million visits. While this figure denotes a sharp annual increase, it remained below the attendance from 2019, before the impact of COVID-19. The Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London, and the Windsor Great Park followed in the ranking that year, with roughly 5.7 million and 5.5 million visits, respectively.
Royal tourism in the UK
While visiting the Windsor Great Park is free, general admission to the Windsor Castle, the most visited establishment within the Royal Estate, is charged. In the fiscal year 2022/2023, the Windsor Castle was the only Royal Estate's establishment reporting over one million admissions. Overall, total admissions to the Royal Estate in the UK reached just under two million in 2022/2023, remaining below pre-pandemic levels.
What are the most visited attractions in Scotland?
In 2023, the Edinburgh Castle was the most visited paid attraction in Scotland, ahead of the Edinburgh Zoo and the Glenfinnan Monument. Attendance at the popular site, however, remained below the figure from 2019. Meanwhile, the National Museum of Scotland ranked as the most visited free visitor attraction in Scotland that year, with nearly 2.2 million visits.
Number of visits to leading tourist attractions in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2019 to 2023
(in 1,000s)
visitor attractions in membership with ALVA; visitor attractions are ranked based on the highest number of visits in 2023
Supplementary notes
¹ Windsor Great Park's data for 2020 was calculated by Statista based on the year-on-year percentage changes provided by the source. Data for 2019 was not available.
² The National was formerly known as the Scottish National Gallery.
Figures have been rounded. Data from 2019 to 2022 were previously published by the source. 2020 data for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew refers to the figure provided by VisitBritain.
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Association of Leading Visitor Attractions. (March 18, 2024). Number of visits to leading tourist attractions in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2019 to 2023 (in 1,000s) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved November 10, 2024, from https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/559616/leading-visitor-attractions-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/
Association of Leading Visitor Attractions. "Number of visits to leading tourist attractions in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2019 to 2023 (in 1,000s)." Chart. March 18, 2024. Statista. Accessed November 10, 2024. https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/559616/leading-visitor-attractions-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/
Association of Leading Visitor Attractions. (2024). Number of visits to leading tourist attractions in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2019 to 2023 (in 1,000s). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: November 10, 2024. https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/559616/leading-visitor-attractions-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/
Association of Leading Visitor Attractions. "Number of Visits to Leading Tourist Attractions in The United Kingdom (Uk) from 2019 to 2023 (in 1,000s)." Statista, Statista Inc., 18 Mar 2024, https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/559616/leading-visitor-attractions-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/
Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, Number of visits to leading tourist attractions in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2019 to 2023 (in 1,000s) Statista, https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/559616/leading-visitor-attractions-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/ (last visited November 10, 2024)
Number of visits to leading tourist attractions in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2019 to 2023 (in 1,000s) [Graph], Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, March 18, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/559616/leading-visitor-attractions-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/