The UK’s 100 Most Popular Tourist Attractions

Prof. Dr. Amarendra Bhushan Dhiraj, Ph.D., DBAFebruary 18, 2019C-Suite Intelligence

The British Museum in London was the most visited tourist attraction in the U.K., with over 5.9 million visitors, followed by Tate Modern, with approximately 5.6 million visitors.

The National Gallery, the Natural History Museum (South Kensington), the V&A, Science Museum, Southbank Centre, Somerset House, Tower of London and Royal Museums Greenwich complete the top 10.

The National Museum of Scotland was 11th overall with 2.2 million visitors, up 20% on 2016, with Edinburgh Castle in 12th with a 16% increase to 2.1 million.

To identify Britain’s 100 Most Popular Tourist Attractions, CEOWORLD magazine reviewed data from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA), one of the UK’s leading tourism organisations. The following list showcases the most visited attraction in the U.K. in 2017.

The 100 Most Popular Tourist Attractions In The United Kingdom:

Rank	Tourist Attraction	Number Of Visitors
1	British Museum	5906716
2	Tate Modern	5656004
3	National Gallery	5229192
4	NHM (South Kensington)	4434520
5	V&A South Kensington	3789748
6	Science Museum	3251000
7	Southbank Centre	3232655
8	Somerset House	3223350
9	Tower of London	2843031
10	Royal Museums Greenwich	2607099
11	National Museum of Scotland	2165601
12	Edinburgh Castle	2063709
13	Chester Zoo	1866628
14	Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew	1802958
15	Tate Britain	1777877
16	National Portrait Gallery	1703411
17	Scottish National Gallery	1600761
18	Stonehenge	1582532
19	St Paul's Cathedral	1571197
20	Westminster Abbey	1547001
21	Royal Albert Hall	1495387
22	British Library	1426433
23	Riverside Museum	1355359
24	Roman Baths and Pump Room	1318976
25	Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum	1304072
26	Old Royal Naval College	1221720
27	RHS Garden Wisley	1143175
28	ZSL London Zoo	1102790
29	National Museum Royal Navy	1081909
30	Royal Academy of Arts	1049962
31	Eden Project	1024156
32	Giants Causeway	1011467
33	Houses of Parliament	1007568
34	Hampton Court Palace	999313
35	The Royal Shakespeare Theatre and Swan Theatre	999041
36	IWM London	992690
37	Horniman Museums and Gardens	942971
38	Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology	937568
39	Shakespeare's Globe	924220
40	Merseyside Maritime Museum	922503
41	Blenheim Palace	917741
42	Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh	904956
43	Canterbury Cathedral	875447
44	Tower Bridge Exhibition	806950
45	Bodleian Library	771283
46	Titanic Belfast	771038
47	Oxford University Museum of Natural History	768487
48	National War Museum, Edinburgh	764079
49	Museum of Liverpool	737120
50	National Railway Museum	718000
51	York Minster	691716
52	Museum of London	678379
53	World Museum Liverpool	672120
54	Gallery of Modern Art	670485
55	Museum of Science and Industry	664000
56	ZSL Whipsnade Zoo	658200
57	Kensington Palace	645370
58	Edinburgh Zoo	642677
59	Chatsworth	636655
60	Tate Liverpool	628024
61	Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery	602634
62	Leeds Castle	572195
63	Stirling Castle	567259
64	Westonbirt, The National Arboretum	538605
65	Churchill War Rooms	534723
66	Ulster Museum	533153
67	Bristol Zoo Gardens	523166
68	RHS Garden Harlow Carr	498933
69	National Science and Media Museum	493000
70	Urquhart Castle	488136
71	Cliveden	487679
72	Pitt Rivers Museum	480663
73	Waddesdon Manor	467308
74	Attingham Park	464871
75	Belton House	444823
76	Fountains Abbey Estate	420016
77	Shakespeare's Birthplace	418947
78	V&A Museum of Childhood	406101
79	International Slavery Museum	398221
80	The Fitzwilliam Museum	397169
81	Glenfinnan	396448
82	IWM Duxford	391532
83	Anglesey Abbey	390181
84	Glasgow Cathedral	389101
85	Calke Abbey	388742
86	London Transport Museum	382405
87	Stourhead	381264
88	Dover Castle	379740
89	Mary Rose	364295
90	Mottisfont	363895
91	Scottish National Portrait Gallery	358199
92	People's Palace Museum	356064
93	Polesden Lacey	354386
94	RAF Museum Cosford	354314
95	St Michael's Mount	350852
96	Wakehurst	346081
97	RAF Museum London	345151
98	Nymans Garden	340125
99	Museum of London (Docklands)	334448
100	Beaulieu	330960

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Prof. Dr. Amarendra Bhushan Dhiraj, Ph.D., DBA

Prof. Dr. Amarendra Bhushan Dhiraj, Ph.D., DBA, is a publishing executive and economist who serves as CEO and Editor-in-Chief of CEOWORLD Magazine, one of the world's most influential and widely read business publications. He also chairs its Advisory Board, shaping the magazine’s editorial vision and global strategy.

Dr. Amarendra earned his Ph.D. in Finance and Banking from the European Global School, Paris, a Doctorate in Chartered Accountancy from the European International University, Paris, and a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) from Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design (KNUTD), Ukraine. He also holds an MBA in International Relations and Affairs from the American University of Athens, Alabama.

Equal parts economist, strategist, and publishing visionary, Dr. Amarendra has built CEOWORLD Magazine into a trusted platform where CEOs, executives, and high-net-worth leaders turn for ideas that matter and insights that last.

Prof. Dr. Amarendra Bhushan Dhiraj, Ph.D., DBA, serves on the Executive Council at CEOWORLD Magazine. Follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter for insights, or explore his official website to learn more about his work.

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