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New statistics from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) have revealed that the British Museum was the UK’s most visited attraction in 2024
Lauren Heath-Jones | Planet Attractions | 01 Apr 2025
The British Museum received almost 6.5 million visitors in 2024 Credit: Canva
London’s British Museum was the most visited UK attraction in 2024, according to new statistics from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA).
ALVA reports that the British Museum received 6,479,952 visitors in 2024, an 11% increase from 2023’s figure and the second time in as many years that the institution has been named the UK’s most visited attraction.
The news comes following a turbulent time for the British Museum, which includes the alleged theft of nearly 2,000 items from the museum’s collection, the subsequent stepping down of several high-profile museum officials, including former museum director Hartwig Fischer and controversial partnerships with the likes of BP and Japan Tobacco International..
The museum is also at the centre of the ongoing debate over the Parthenon Marbles, which have been housed at the institution since 1816, with the Greek government calling for the artefacts to be returned to Athens.
According to ALVA, London’s Natural History Museum was 2024’s second most popular attraction after receiving 6.3 million visitors, with the attraction also experiencing an 11% increase from 2023.
The Tate Modern on London’s Southbank was the fourth most visited, receiving 4.6 million visitors in 2024, while the Southbank Centre, which counts the Hayward Gallery amongst its venues, saw a 17% increase compared to 2023, receiving more than 3.7 million visitors in 2024.
Other London-based attractions that received a notable increase in attendance over the past 12 months include the National Portrait Gallery, which saw a 36% increase, with more than 1.5 million visitors heading to the museum since it reopened in June 2023. The Young V&A, meanwhile, experienced a 47% increase, welcoming 596,100 visitors in 2024.
Outside of London, ALVA noted a 3% increase at Stonehenge, with 1.36 million people visiting the World Heritage site in Wiltshire.
In Scotland, the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh received 2.3 million visitors and was named the country’s most visited free attraction. Edinburgh Castle remained the most visited paid-for attraction, receiving almost 2 million visitors, while the National Galleries of Scotland, also in Edinburgh, reported a 9% increase with 1.9 million visitors.
St. Fagan’s National Museum of History in Cardiff was the most visited attraction in Wales, receiving 660,690 visitors. In Northern Ireland, Titanic Belfast saw a 10% increase, drawing 881,573 attendees.
According to ALVA, London-based attractions typically experienced a 3% increase in visitor numbers, with Scottish and Northern Irish attractions typically seeing a 3.2% increase in attendance throughout 2024.
England’s East Midlands experienced the biggest year-on-year growth, with attractions in the region seeing a 4.5% increase compared to 2023.
“For most visitor attractions, 2024 was a year of steady but not significant growth,” said ALVA director Bernard Donoghue.
“The long economic recovery from lockdown during Covid, the effects of the cost-of-living crisis on consumer spending, increasing business costs and modest inbound visitor numbers to the UK mean that 2024 was a financially challenging year for visitor attractions.
“The recovery of visitor attractions and the broader cultural and heritage economies remains fragile, but visitors have shown that in their leisure spending they still prioritise day trips to loved attractions, they are keeping up their memberships of favourite organisations and they value spending special time with special people in special places.”
Museums and galleries
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