Your most unforgettable visit experiences with friends.
Your most unforgettable visit experiences with friends.
Coming to the UK and wondering where to head first? It depends, of course, on where your host is based.
But what if you have managed to book up with several hosts for your trip – and in various destinations? If so, here’s a list of some of the most visited attractions throughout the UK last year to inspire you.
Yes, lockdowns were still occurring in 2021, but there were still plenty of visitors seeking to go sight-seeing and basically get out and enjoy themselves. You won’t be surprised to learn that only four per cent of visitors were from overseas according to research by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA).
Windsor Great Park is most visited venue last year
Domestic tourism was booming and two of the biggest attractions in London were The National Gallery and Westminster Abbey – but they didn’t receive the most visits. The area that in fact had the largest footfall was Windsor Great Park (The Long Walk) with 5.4 million visitors. The Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew was the second most visited, and Chester Zoo came in third. Next was the Natural History Museum, then the gardens at RHS Wisley.
Edinburgh Castle is most visited outside London
Other big hitters last year for domestic tourism were Edinburgh Castle, the tidal island St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, Kensington Palace, Kirkstall Abbey in Leeds and Kent’s Canterbury Cathedral.
Also popular was Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard. And, actually, on that point, 2022 marks the 110th anniversary of the Titanic sinking – so expect Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast to have some special celebrations this year.
Edinburgh’s National War Museum was the second most popular tourist attraction in the Scottish capital, while Cornwall had another big hit with Tintagel Castle (lots of people were keen to try out the new bridge).
Beaulieu in Hampshire was also very popular last year. The village, which sits on the edge of the New Forest National Park, is the location for Palace House and the British National Motor Museum.
Further North, and Beamish with its fascinating Living Museum attracted thousands of visitors, while Chatsworth in Derbyshire (the location for Mr Darcy’s swim in the first Pride and Prejudice film) also got its fair share of footfall.
You won’t fail to have noticed that the ALVA list features a lot of London-based attractions. In fact, here’s the top 10 list right here with the number of visitors each attracted:
ALVA Top Ten UK Tourist Attractions 2021
Managers of tourist attractions in England which didn’t appear on the list will be relieved to hear that’s not the only record of visitor numbers though. The government’s Office of National Statistics (ONS) also carries out an annual survey of visited tourist attractions in the country. The results are collated via an online and postal survey.
Brighton Pier first in ‘free attractions’ list
In their Annual Survey of Visits to Visitor Attractions the ONS highlighted the Top 10 free visitor attractions in England. Brighton Pier was top of the list with 4,260,485 visitors last year. The Natural History Museum was second with 1,571,413 visitors and the British Museum third with 1,327,120. The latter two attracted visitors of 5,423,932 and 6,239,983 respectively in the pre-pandemic year 2019 implying that both are more likely to be visited by overseas tourists.
Other attractions which featured on the ONS list and not on ALVA’s findings, included Tate Modern in London, Somerset House, London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and Clacton Pier.
Botanic Gardens in Kew is top ‘paid’ visitor attraction
The Botanic Gardens in Kew, followed by Chester Zoo and RHS Garden Wisley were the top paid attractions. But others were the Windermere Lake Cruises in the Lake District, Trentham Gardens, Tatton Park, Longleat Safari and Adventure Park, and the very splendid Blenheim Palace.
Get in touch
Plan on visiting the UK this year and haven’t already booked where you’re staying? Then meeting up with an individual host, couple or family is a great way to find out about a new location. That way you won’t waste any time trying to discover the highlights of any particular area. Your guide will be able to pinpoint them – and will probably take you there too. Find out more at www.visitsomeone.com
Further sites to research what the UK offers:
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Email: contact@visitsomeone.com
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