Leading paid visitor attractions in London, UK 2019-2021, by attendance

The Royal Botanic Gardens and Kew Gardens was the most popular paid attraction in London in 2021, welcoming nearly two million visitors. Attendance to the renowned gardens increased by roughly 60.5 percent compared to the first year of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but it did not catch up yet with pre-pandemic levels. While the Tower of London was the most visited paid attraction in the city in 2019, it ranked third in 2021, recording around 526 thousand visitors.

What is the most popular free tourist attraction in London?

London’s free visitor attractions experienced a dramatic decline in admissions due to the pandemic. For instance, the Natural History Museum, which topped the ranking of the most visited free attractions in London, received around four million fewer visitors in 2021 than in 2019. A detailed look at the number of visits to leading tourist attractions in London shows that despite recording significantly fewer admissions during the health crisis, eight of the ten most visited attraction could be accessed for free.

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.