The most-visited attraction in the UK for the second year in a row was the British Museum, according to official figures.
The famous London museum saw 6,479,952 visitors through its doors in 2024, an 11% increase on 2023 numbers.
There was also good news for the capital’s Natural History Museum, which enjoyed an 11% increase in visitors (6,301,972), claiming second spot.
Overall, the UK’s most popular attractions saw an uplift of 3.4% in visitor numbers year-on-year, according to Alva (Association of Leading Visitor Attractions).
The total number of visits to 400 Alva sites in 2024 was 157.2 million but that was still a decline of 8.8% on the 169.7 million visits in 2019.
Windsor Great Park (part of the Crown Estate) was the most visited outdoor attraction, welcoming 5,670,430 visitors last year, a 3% increase, which placed it in third.
Alva director Bernard Donoghue said last year was “a year of steady but not significant growth”, citing the “the long economic recovery” from Covid lockdown and “the effects of the cost-of-living crisis”, as well as “modest inbound visitor numbers to the UK”.
“The recovery of visitor attractions and the broader cultural and heritage economies remains fragile”, he noted, “but visitors have shown that in their leisure spending they still prioritise day trips to loved attractions.”
The top 20 UK visitor attractions 2024
- British Museum (6,479,952)
- National History Museum (6,301,972)
- Windsor Great Park (5,670,430
- Tate Modern (4,603,205)
- Southbank Centre (3,734,075)
- V&A South Kensington (3,525,700)
- National Gallery (3,203,451)
- Somerset House (3,074,736)
- Tower of London (2,902,385)
- Science Museum (2,827, 242)
- National Museum of Scotland (2,314,974)
- Kew Gardens (2,273,976)
- Royal Museums Greenwich (2,255,753)
- National Galleries Scotland: National (1,999,196)
- Edinburgh Castle (1,981,152)
- Royal Albert Hall (1,753, 371)
- Westminster Abbey (1,717,296)
- National Portrait Gallery (1,578,065)
- The Barbican Centre (1,541,194)
- St Paul’s Cathedral (1,493, 184)
In Scotland, Edinburgh’s National Museum of Scotland remained the country’s most visited attraction. It also moved up to 11th in the UK table with 2,314,974 visitors (a 6% increase).
National Galleries Scotland’s National site welcomed 1,999,196 people, seeing a 9% increase, while Edinburgh Castle was close behind, with 1,981,152 visitors.
In Northern Ireland, Titanic Belfast continued to be the most-visited attraction with a 10% increase to 881,573 visitors (35th place overall).
In Wales, Cardiff’s St Fagans National Museum of History was the most visited, with 600,690 visits (62nd place).
Other notable successes included London’s National Portrait Gallery, which reopened in summer 2023 after a three-year redevelopment, and saw a 36% increase in visitors (1,578,065), presumably eager to see the revamp. It took seventh place on the list.
The Museum of Liverpool saw a 19% increase and moved 12 places to 41st with 829, 692 visitors; Pitt Rivers in Oxford gained a 27% increase to 509,703 visitors (80th spot) with The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge enjoying a 25% uplift to 506,428 visitors (81st place).
The Young V&A, based in the capital, saw 596,100 visitors come through its doors. That marked an increase of 47% in its second year of reopening and placed it 18th on the list. It was also named Museum of the Year in 2024.
Buckingham Palace (which only opens to visitors for a few weeks each summer) received 646,832 visitors, the most its ever had in the history of its summer opening, which began in 1993. Despite its limited opening period, it was 59th on the list.
The UK Parliament was visited by 560,317 people, a 196% increase (67th most visited).
Credit: BBC
