Museums and art galleries see greatest increase in visitors
Visits to England’s attractions rose by 2% in 2018 with revenue up 2% on the previous year. England’s museums and art galleries saw the most significant growth in visitor numbers in VisitEngland’s Annual Attractions Survey published today.
The survey, which considers responses from more than 1,500 English attractions saw museums and art galleries perform particularly well in 2018 with an increase of 6% in visitor numbers compared to the previous year.
Visits to places of worship also saw an increase with 3% more visitors in 2018 confirming the upward trend seen in 2017 after three years of decline.
Tourism Minister Rebecca Pow said:
“We are home to four of the top ten museums and galleries in the world and each year our attractions draw in millions of people wanting to experience, enjoy, and engage with our rich and diverse culture.
“It is brilliant to see such positive growth across a range of destinations. From ancient cathedrals and beautiful landscapes, to rural villages, historic houses, glorious gardens and museums, we truly have something for everyone. Our Tourism Sector Deal, with it’s potential to grow the sector, will help make sure England, and the rest of the UK, remains one of the world’s top tourist destinations.”
VisitEngland Chief Executive Sally Balcombe said:
“England’s outstanding attractions encourage day visits and overnight stays, ensuring visitors have memorable experiences driving visits and growth across the English regions.
“Our culture is one of the main drivers for international visitors and so it’s not surprising to see our museums and galleries returning to the top spot, confirming England’s position as a cultural hub.”
Duncan Wilson, Historic England Chief Executive, said:
“The diversity and variety of historic places across the country is one of our greatest assets – inviting and inspiring visitors, from home and overseas, to discover the richness and diversity of the buildings and heritage all around us, and the stories which they embody.
“It’s heartening to see that international visitor numbers to heritage sites continue to rise, as well as school visits to historic properties which reached 1.6 million in 2018. We know the power of heritage to help children develop a sense of pride in their locality, and foster a sense of identity and belonging.”
The Tate Modern displaced the British Museum for the first time in ten years with 5.87 million visitors with the British Museum following closely welcoming 5.83 million in 2018.
Topping the list of paid for attractions for the tenth year was the Tower of London with 2.86 million visitors and Chester Zoo once again in second place with 1.97 million visitors.
VisitEngland’s latest domestic tourism statistics show that for the first four months of 2019 Brits took a record 11.8 million domestic overnight holidays in England up 3% on the previous record set in 2017.
Tourism is worth £106 billion annually to England.
To see the full report click here.