Heatwave boosted visits to art galleries and museums in 2018 as more Britons stayed in UK for holidays
- 2018’s record average temperature of 17.2C boosted demand at art galleries
- The Tate Modern in London displaced the British Museum as the top attraction
- Topping the list of paid-for attractions for the tenth year was the Tower of London with 2.86million visitors followed by Chester Zoo with 1.97million
It was a heatwave which saw the warmest ever summer in England.
But 2018’s record average temperature of 17.2C (63F) also boosted demand at art galleries and museums as more Britons stayed in the country for holidays rather than search for sunshine abroad.
Galleries and museums saw a 6 per cent increase in visitors on 2017 – after three years of decline. The Tate Modern in London displaced the British Museum as the top attraction for the first time in a decade.
It attracted 5.87million people compared to the museum’s 5.83million, the National Gallery’s 5.74million and the Natural History Museum’s 5.23million. All are free for visitors.
Topping the list of paid-for attractions for the tenth year was the Tower of London with 2.86million
The Tate Modern in London displaced the British Museum as the top attraction for the first time in a decade
Topping the list of paid-for attractions for the tenth year was the Tower of London with 2.86million visitors followed by Chester Zoo with 1.97million.
Cathedrals and other places of worship also saw an increase, with 3 per cent more visitors in 2018, according to Visit England’s Attractions Survey.
Tourism minister Rebecca Pow said: ‘We are home to four of the top ten museums and galleries in the world. It is brilliant to see such positive growth across a range of destinations.’
Figures show tourism is worth £106billion a year to England.