Leading paid visitor attractions in London 2019-2020

All of the most visited paid attractions in London experienced a decline in admissions in 2020 over the previous year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Royal Botanic Gardens and Kew Gardens was the most popular paid attraction in 2020, welcoming roughly 1.2 million visitors. In 2019, however, the Tower of London was the most sought-out paid attraction, recording almost three million visitors within the year, while the Royal Botanic Gardens and Kew Gardens received 2.3 million visitors.

How badly did COVID-19 affect free visitor attractions in London?

London’s free visitor attractions experienced a dramatic decline in admissions due to the pandemic. For instance, the British Museum, which was among the most visited free attractions in London prior to the health crisis, received around five million fewer visitors in 2020 than in the previous year. A detailed look at the number of visits to leading tourist attractions in London shows that despite recording significantly fewer admissions in 2020, the three most visited attractions in London were free visitor attractions.

How are visitor attractions in England responding to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Visitor attractions have introduced various measures to address fears regarding the spread of COVID-19 and comply with new regulations established during the health crisis. From among the main measures introduced by visitor attractions in England, 81 percent of establishments had instituted hand sanitizers as a countermeasure to reduce the spread of the virus. Meanwhile, the share of visitor attractions using digital communication channels in England also increased during the pandemic, rising from 90 percent in 2019 to 96 percent in 2020.