Admissions to England’s visitor attractions rose by 2% in 2008 according to VisitEngland’s annual Visitor Attraction Survey, released today.
Top attractions in the paid for category include Westminster Abbey, Kew Gardens, Chester Zoo, Windermere Lake Cruises and the Eden Project.
London’s ‘big five’ museums British Museum, Tate Modern, National Gallery, Natural History Museum and Science Museum performed best in the free category.
Visits to North West attractions increased most significantly with a 13% uplift. The Liverpool Capital of Culture 2008 event helped drive the increase with many major attractions in Liverpool experiencing extremely high increases in visitor admissions including 68% more admissions at Tate Liverpool.
Visit to Yorkshire/The Humber attractions (+7%) also saw a notable increase in 2008, driven by large increases to a small number of attractions, primarily in Sheffield and Leeds. London and West Midlands also experienced above average growth (+3%).
Categories which showed the most growth with above average increases include farms (+8%), museums/art galleries (+7%), visitor/heritage centres (+6%) and places of worship (+5%).
Museums/art galleries (57%) and farms (55%) also reported the highest proportions of attractions with an increase in visitor admissions in 2008.
James Berresford, Chief Executive of VisitEngland said, ‘The uplift in numbers and increasing appreciation of England’s world-class attractions is extremely welcome news.
‘In terms of education, history, our natural landscapes, the quirky and unusual to the just plain fun - we’ve got everything here in England to suit all interests and budgets, whatever the weather.’
