A study by City Hall has revealed that London’s tourist attractions saw a huge rise in visitors in 2022 compared to the year before.
Before the pandemic, in 2019, London was the third most-visited city in the world, with 21 million travellers paying a visit, according to the London Assembly. But that all came to a halt when Covid-19 restrictions on socialising and travelling were put in place in 2020.
Last summer was the first tourist season without these Covid-19 restrictions, and in line with that, the researchers found that there was an increase in international flights arriving in London.
Tourism Economics analysts are estimating that tourism in London will continue to improve, with two million more international arrivals in 2023, bringing an additional £674 million to the capital.
But, which tourist attractions are the main pull for tourists? Here is a look at the top five most-visited attractions in London.
The top five most-visited tourist attractions in London
According to the statistics released by Statista based on the number of visits between 2019 and 2022, the Natural History Museum was ths most popular tourist attraction. The museum based in South Kensington was found to have been visited by nearly 4.7 million guests in 2022 alone.
The second place was taken by the British Museum, with 4.1 million visitors in 2022. The public museum in Bloomsbury is dedicated to art, culture, and human history. Its collection, which consists of eight million pieces, is the largest in the world.
Tate Modern was found to be the third most-visited London tourist attraction, with 3.9 million visits in 2022. The museum exhibits over a hundred years of art, including sculptures, paintings, and more by the likes of Pablo Picasso and Jenny Holzer.
The Southbank Centre ranked fourth on the list, with nearly 3 million visitors. The complex that hosts multiple artistic venues on the South Bank of the River Thames offers travellers theatre plays, art exhibitions, comedy shows, concerts, festivals, and more.
The fifth most-visited London attraction in 2002 was The National Gallery. The art museum, that’s free to enter, is based in Trafalgar Square and is home to thousands of paintings.
