British Museum most visited UK attraction in 2024 for second 12 months in a row

Essentially the most-visited attraction within the UK for the second 12 months in a row was the British Museum, based on official figures.

The well-known London museum noticed 6,479,952 guests by way of its doorways in 2024, an 11% improve on 2023 numbers.

There was additionally excellent news for the capital’s Pure Historical past Museum, which loved an 11% improve in guests (6,301,972), claiming second spot.

General, the UK’s hottest sights noticed an uplift of three.4% in customer numbers year-on-year, based on Alva (Affiliation of Main Customer Sights).

The entire variety of visits to 400 Alva websites in 2024 was 157.2 million however that was nonetheless a decline of 8.8% on the 169.7 million visits in 2019.

Windsor Nice Park (a part of the Crown Property) was probably the most visited outside attraction, welcoming 5,670,430 guests final 12 months, a 3% improve, which positioned it in third.

Alva director Bernard Donoghue stated final 12 months was “a 12 months of regular however not important development”, citing the “the lengthy financial restoration” from Covid lockdown and “the consequences of the cost-of-living disaster”, in addition to “modest inbound customer numbers to the UK”.

“The restoration of customer sights and the broader cultural and heritage economies stays fragile”, he famous, “however guests have proven that of their leisure spending they nonetheless prioritise day journeys to cherished sights.”

1. British Museum (6,479,952)
2. Nationwide Historical past Museum (6,301,972)
3. Windsor Nice Park (5,670,430
4. Tate Trendy (4,603,205)
5. Southbank Centre (3,734,075)
6. V&A South Kensington (3,525,700)
7. Nationwide Gallery (3,203,451)
8. Somerset Home (3,074,736)
9. Tower of London (2,902,385)
10. Science Museum (2,827, 242)
11. Nationwide Museum of Scotland (2,314,974)
12. Kew Gardens (2,273,976)
13. Royal Museums Greenwich (2,255,753)
14. Nationwide Galleries Scotland: Nationwide (1,999,196)
15. Edinburgh Fortress (1,981,152)
16. Royal Albert Corridor (1,753, 371)
17. Westminster Abbey (1,717,296)
18. Nationwide Portrait Gallery (1,578,065)
19. The Barbican Centre (1,541,194)
20. St Paul’s Cathedral (1,493, 184)

In Scotland, Edinburgh’s Nationwide Museum of Scotland remained the nation’s most visited attraction. It additionally moved as much as eleventh within the UK desk with 2,314,974 guests (a 6% improve).

Nationwide Galleries Scotland’s Nationwide website welcomed 1,999,196 individuals, seeing a 9% improve, whereas Edinburgh Fortress was shut behind, with 1,981,152 guests.

In Northern Eire, Titanic Belfast continued to be the most-visited attraction with a ten% improve to 881,573 guests (thirty fifth place general).

In Wales, Cardiff’s St Fagans Nationwide Museum of Historical past was probably the most visited, with 600,690 visits (62nd place).

Different notable successes included London’s Nationwide Portrait Gallery, which reopened in summer time 2023 after a three-year redevelopment, and noticed a 36% improve in guests (1,578,065), presumably desirous to see the revamp. It took seventh place on the checklist.

The Museum of Liverpool noticed a 19% improve and moved 12 locations to forty first with 829, 692 guests; Pitt Rivers in Oxford gained a 27% improve to 509,703 guests (eightieth spot) with The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge having fun with a 25% uplift to 506,428 guests (81st place).

The Younger V&A, primarily based within the capital, noticed 596,100 guests come by way of its doorways. That marked a rise of 47% in its second 12 months of reopening and positioned it 18th on the checklist. It was additionally named Museum of the Yr in 2024.

Buckingham Palace (which solely opens to guests for a number of weeks every summer time) acquired 646,832 guests, probably the most its ever had within the historical past of its summer time opening, which started in 1993. Regardless of its restricted opening interval, it was 59th on the checklist.

The UK Parliament was visited by 560,317 individuals, a 196% improve (67th most visited).