Whether it’s down to all the royal goings-on of the past year (namely the Platty Joobz and the late Queen’s funeral) or simply its stunning gardens and fascinating history, the Crown Estate in Windsor has been revealed as the UK’s most visited site in 2022.
According to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, the royal park had more than 5.6 million visitors in 2022 and topped the list for the second year in a row.
The ALVA also revealed that overall visits to UK galleries, museums and heritage sites have increased by 69 percent since 2021, despite international tourist numbers still being below pre-pandemic level.
If you’ve ever been caught in the crowds on Southbank or zigzagged through the queues on Exhibition Road, it will come as no surprise that London dominates the AVLA’s ranking.
The Natural History Museum was the second most visited site and the number-one indoor attraction, with 4.6 million people paying it a visit. Amid the cost of living crisis, free sites including the Tate Modern, the Southbank Centre and the National Gallery racked up between 200 to 300 percent more visitors than in 2021.
The National Museum in Edinburgh was tourists’ fave spot in Scotland and narrowly missed out on a place in the top ten. In Northern Ireland, the Titanic Belfast received the most footfall, while Bodnant Garden in Conwy was Wales’s most popular site.
Here are the ten most popular tourist attractions in the UK last year:
- The Crown Estate, Windsor Great Park, Berkshire
- Natural History Museum (South Kensington)
- The British Museum
- Tate Modern
- Southbank Centre
- The National Gallery
- V&A South Kensington
- Somerset House
- Science Museum
- Tower of London
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