The latest figures from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) show that outdoor attractions in the UK saw a greater share of visitors in 2020, reflecting not only people’s desire to access safe and well-managed outdoor spaces during the pandemic, but also the longer closure periods for indoor attractions.

Kew Gardens was the most popular outdoor attraction © VisitBritain / Joanna Henderson

Visitor figures for members of ALVA in 2020 saw a very strong start to the year, thanks to an increase in overseas visitors, but then a huge average decline of 66% following the outbreak of coronavirus. The total number of visits to ALVA sites in 2020 was 45.4 million, representing an annual decline of 70% compared to the 2019 figures.

When the initial lockdown commenced last spring all visitor attractions in the UK were closed, but by early summer outdoor sites were able to reopen to the public earlier than indoor sites. 

Natural History Museum in London © VisitBritain / Andrew Pickett

The most visited attraction in the UK was Tate Modern in London with 1,431,704 visits. The Natural History Museum moved up two places to second, with 1,296,763 visits, and the British Museum was third. However, unlike previous years, not all of the Top 10 most visited attractions were in London.

For the first time, two gardens appeared in the Top 10. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, moved up seven places to fourth, and RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey jumped 21 places to seventh. The most visited attraction outside London was Chester Zoo in sixth place.

Longleat in Wiltshire © VisitBritain

Significant increases were also seen by some of the other top 20 attractions, including the Horniman Museum and Gardens in south London, ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire and Attingham Park in Shropshire, reflecting the important role many attractions have played in providing people with access to safe and well-managed outdoor spaces during the pandemic.

For the first time, the most visited attraction in Scotland was the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. In Northern Ireland, Titanic Belfast remained the most visited attraction with Mount Stewart in second place. The most visited attraction in Wales was Bodnant Garden.

However, numbers were badly impacted by COVID-19 and showed how vulnerable many of the UK’s attractions were. Two notable examples that would normally be among the most visited attractions in the UK were Royal Museums Greenwich which saw a 96% decline in visits and Edinburgh Castle, which is normally the most-visited paid for attraction in Scotland, down 87%.

Chester Zoo, the most visited attraction outside London

Bernard Donoghue, Director of ALVA, commented: “Our annual figures for 2020 reflect what a devastatingly hard year the attractions sector and the wider visitor economy faced. Tourism is the UK’s fifth biggest industry and, as these figures show, was hit first, hit hardest and will take the longest to recover.

“Although many of our members are still physically closed, they have been digitally open. Via innovative ‘virtual’ activities, our members have continued to inspire, teach us and remain at the forefront of our minds. When the attractions were open, they were open with much reduced capacity and the public’s feedback was that they were not only COVID-safe but the visitor experience was superb.”

Janet Redler, Chief Executive of Janet Redler Travel & Tourism, added: “It has been a very tough year for visitor attractions in the United Kingdom – as it has in every country. While visits were down significantly in 2020, it is interesting to note the trend towards safe, well-managed outdoor attractions. As the UK economy opens up again, many of us are keen to support this country’s wonderful visitor attractions and, as summer approaches, no doubt outdoor spaces will be popular once again.”

If you or your group would like to start planning a tailor-made tour of the UK, taking in some of the country’s many world-class visitor attractions, please do contact our friendly team today.