The British Museum has once again topped the list of the UK’s most visited attractions, with 6,479,952 people passing through its doors in 2024. This is an 11 per cent increase on the previous year, and it is the second year in a row that the museum has topped the hit parade, Euronews reports.
Just behind it in second place is the Natural History Museum in London, which also grew by 11 per cent to welcome 6,301,972 visitors. In terms of the bigger picture, the UK’s most popular attractions – from Windsor Park to the National Museum of Scotland – saw significant growth.
In Scotland, the leading attraction remains the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, which climbed to 11th place in the UK rankings with 2,314,974 visitors – an increase of 6%. The National Galleries of Scotland’s main site had 1,999,196 visitors, reflecting an increase of 9 per cent, with Edinburgh Castle following close behind with 1,981,152 visitors.
In Northern Ireland, Titanic Belfast maintained its position as the most visited attraction with a 10% increase in visitors to 881,573, ranking 35th overall.
In Wales, St. Fagans National History Museum in Cardiff led the way with 600,690 visits, making it 62nd on the list.
However, it’s not all smooth sailing in this sector. The total number of visits to the 400 sites in the Association of Leading Tourist Attractions (Alva) fell by 8.8 per cent compared to pre-pandemic 2019 figures.
Whilst attractions such as Buckingham Palace, which had its highest summer visitor numbers ever, are showing growth, the sector is far from stable. As Alva director Bernard Donoghue said, “the recovery of tourist attractions and the wider culture and heritage economy remains fragile.”
Donoghue, quoted by the BBC, acknowledged the ongoing “economic recovery” from the Covid lockout and the impact of the cost of living crisis, while noting more optimistically that despite the challenges, visitors still prioritise day trips to their favourite destinations. Even key cultural players are facing serious financial challenges despite good attendance figures.
Tate, which operates four galleries in England (Tate Modern is No. 4 on Alva’s list), announced earlier this month that it was cutting its staff by 7 per cent, equivalent to about 40 jobs, as it struggles with a financial deficit exacerbated by the pandemic.
