The Tate Modern has replaced the British Museum as the most popular UK visitor attraction. Almost 5.9 million visited the famed art gallery in 2018, while 5.8 million went to the British Museum.
The internationally renowned Southbank institution hosted blockbuster exhibitions by Picasso and Modigliani in 2018, which may part explain its rising appeal. The news marks the first time that the gallery has topped the list since its opening in 2000.
Although the UK's top 10 visitor attractions are all based in London, Liverpool's World Museum became the most-visited English museum outside of the capital. This is thought to be because of its exhibition of Terracotta Warriors, which helped visitor numbers increase by 111 per cent.
Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva), who conducted the study, said that the cold weather that lasted up until April in 2018 prompted a dip in outdoor attractions such asThe Eden Project in Cornwall; ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, Bedfordshire; Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire; and Chatsworth House, Derbyshire. The company also said that the World Cup had a negative impact on the number of visitors to top UK attractions.
"I wish tourism was slightly more sophisticated, but weather has always been a determining factor on where people go," said Alva director Bernard Donoghue.
The top 10 most-visited UK attractions are as follows:
- Tate Modern, 5.9 million
- British Museum, 5.8 million
- National Gallery, 5.7 million
- Natural History Museum, 5.2 million
- Southbank Centre, 4.5 million
- V&A museum, 3.9 million
- Science Museum, 3.17 million
- Somerset House, 3.14 million
- Tower of London, 2.8 million
- Royal Museums Greenwich, 2.5 million
Britain's best tourist attractions
