Tourism in England
![]() | This article'sfactual accuracymay be compromised due to out-of-date information.(February 2023) |
Tourism plays a significant part in the economic life ofEngland.In 2018, the United Kingdom as a whole was the world's 10th most visited country for tourists,[2]and 17 of the United Kingdom's 25UNESCO World Heritage Sitesfall within England.[3]
VisitEnglandis the official tourist board forEngland.VisitEngland's stated mission is to build England's tourism product, raise Britain's profile worldwide, increase the volume and value of tourism exports and develop England and Britain's visitor economy.[4]In 2020, theLonely Planettravel guide ratedEnglandas the second best country to visit that year, afterBhutan.[5]
Lockdowns necessitated by theCOVID-19 pandemicsignificantly reduced the number of visitors in 2020, and into 2021. As of March 2021[update],a 10-day quarantine period applies to people enteringEnglandfrom a number of "red list" countries.[6]
Cities[edit]
The 15 English cities visited most by overseas tourists in 2019 were:[7]
# | City | Annual visitors (millions) |
---|---|---|
1 | London | 21.7 |
2 | Manchester | 1.7 |
3 | Birmingham | 1.1 |
4 | Liverpool | 0.84 |
5 | Brighton and Hove | 0.64 |
6 | Bristol | 0.63 |
7 | Oxford | 0.58 |
8 | Cambridge | 0.42 |
9 | Bath | 0.4 |
10 | Leeds | 0.33 |
11 | York | 0.29 |
12 | Newcastle-upon-Tyne | 0.28 |
13 | Stratford-upon-Avon(town) | 0.27 |
14 | Nottingham | 0.24 |
15 | Coventry | 0.24 |
Rankings[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Tate_modern_london_2001_02.jpg/220px-Tate_modern_london_2001_02.jpg)
Unlike other countries, most state-run museums and places of cultural interest in England are free of charge to visit. Museums are an important aspect of English culture, and most cities and towns have a few museums and art galleries. Some of the most visited places are:
# | Museum | County | Visitors (2022) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Windsor Great Park | Berkshire | 5,636,844 |
2 | Wisley Garden | Surrey | 1,494,709 |
3 | Stonehenge | Wiltshire | 977,316 |
4 | Windsor Castle | Berkshire | 927,331 |
5 | Bath's Roman BathsandGrand Pump Room | Somerset | 851,854 |
6 | Longleat | Wiltshire | 814,263 |
7 | Moors Valley Country Park | Dorset | 810,707 |
8 | Blenheim Palace | Oxfordshire | 806,806 |
9 | Beamish Museum | County Durham | 773,814 |
10 | Whipsnade Zoo | Bedfordshire | 760,087 |
11 | Ashmolean Museum | Oxfordshire | 728,006 |
12 | Portsmouth Historic Dockyard | Hampshire | 718,990 |
13 | Bodleian Libraries | Oxfordshire | 711,478 |
15 | Oxford University Museum of Natural History | Oxfordshire | 675,557 |
16 | Royal Shakespeare Company | Warwickshire | 672,487 |
17 | World Museum | Merseyside | 669,684 |
18 | Eden Project | Cornwall | 658,084 |
18 | York Minster | North Yorkshire | 620,591 |
20 | Sherwood Pines Forest Park | Nottinghamshire | 612,804 |
Rank | Museum | Visitors (2022) |
---|---|---|
1 | Natural History Museum | 4,654,608 |
2 | British Museum | 4,097,253 |
3 | Tate Modern | 3,883,160 |
4 | Southbank Centre | 2,947,155 |
5 | National Gallery | 2,727,119 |
6 | Victoria and Albert Museum | 2,370,261 |
7 | Somerset House | 2,346,580 |
8 | London Science Museum | 2,334,930 |
9 | Tower of London | 2,020,121 |
10 | Royal Botanic Gardens Kew | 1,963,885 |
11 | Royal Museums Greenwich | 1,628,580 |
12 | Royal Albert Hall | 1,449,486 |
13 | St Paul's Cathedral | 1,193,888 |
14 | British Library | 1,149,070 |
15 | Westminster Abbey | 1,063,063 |
16 | London Zoo | 1,045,289 |
17 | Tate Britain | 913,395 |
18 | Horniman Museum and Gardens | 790,067 |
19 | Royal Opera House Covent Garden | 697,001 |
20 | Royal Academy of Arts | 695,968 |
World Heritage Sites[edit]
17 of the 25 United Kingdom'sUNESCO World Heritage Sitesfall within England. Some of the best known of these includeStonehenge,theTower of London,theJurassic Coast,Westminster,theRoman Baths in Bath,Saltaire,Ironbridge GorgeandStudley Royal Park.
The northernmost point of the Roman Empire,Hadrian's Wall,is the largest Roman artefact in the world, running a total of 73 miles in northern England.[10]
National Parks[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/View_from_Latrigg.jpg/220px-View_from_Latrigg.jpg)
Some notable National Parks in England include:
- Lake District National Park— mountains, lakes and woodlands; the land of Wordsworth.
- New Forest National Park— one of the few remnants of the great oak and hornbeam woodland that once covered southern England.
- North York Moors National Park— heather-clad hills, woodlands, sea cliffs and secluded beaches
- Peak District National Park— rugged moors and hills which form the northern spine of England.
- South Downs National Park— the gentle rolling chalk downs of southern England.
England possesses a wide range of natural environments, and continues to benefit from a significantecotourismindustry.[citation needed]Attractions include:[11]
- Eden ProjectinCornwall.
- TheLake District,anational parkand mountainous region inCumbria,includingWindermere,the largest lake inEngland.
- ThePeak District,a national park and upland area lying mostly inDerbyshire.
- DartmoorandExmoor,national parks and upland areas inDevon/Somerset.
- TheNew Forest,a rural forest and national park lying mostly inHampshire.
- TheJurassic Coast,aWorld Heritage SiteinDorsetandDevon.
- The Broads,a national park and lowland area lying mostly inNorfolk.
- TheYorkshire Dales,a national park and upland area inNorth Yorkshireand Cumbria.
- TheNational Forest,covering parts ofLeicestershire,DerbyshireandStaffordshire.
- TheSouth Downs,a national park stretching fromHampshiretoEast Sussexand comprising chalk uplands and sea cliffs.
- Center Parcs,aEuropeannetwork of rural holiday parks.
Preservation trusts[edit]
A number ofumbrella organisationsare devoted to the preservation and public access of both natural and cultural heritage, includingEnglish Heritageand theNational Trust.Membership with them, even on a temporary basis, gives priority free access to their properties thereafter.
English Heritage has a wide-ranging remit and manages more than 400 significant buildings and Monuments in England. They also maintain a register of thousands oflisted buildings,[12]those which are considered of most importance to the historic and cultural heritage of the country.
Travelling within England[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/37/Hugh_llewelyn_390_010_%286390165407%29.jpg/220px-Hugh_llewelyn_390_010_%286390165407%29.jpg)
The United Kingdom's bus servicesoffers numerous, frequent and reliable transport around most of the larger towns and cities. Rural areas are less well served and hiring a car is often the best option to explore the countryside and villages.
The next most common methods of transports are taxis and trains.Great Britain's extensive rail networkis used to travel between cities significantly more than aeroplanes, with a 2015 survey finding that only 1% of international visitors flew domestically after arrival.[13]
Politics[edit]
TheParliamentary Under Secretary of State for Arts, Heritage and Tourismis theministerwith responsibility overtourismin theUK.[14]
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic[edit]
The travel restrictions and lockdowns necessitated by theCOVID-19 pandemicin 2020 led to a 76% reduction in "inbound tourism" to the UK that year.(Most reports that provide statistics on tourism cover the entire UK as an entity, although some do provide specifics for England.) The forecast for 2021 indicated an estimate that visits would be up "21% on 2020 but only 29% of the 2019 level". Some increase was expected but slowly at first and the report concluded that tourism was not expected to come "even close to normal levels".[15]
The same VisitBritain report also discussed the effects of the pandemic on domestic within the UK in 2020, citing a significant reduction in spending, for an estimated decline of 62% over the previous year. As of January 2021, the forecast for 2021 suggested that spending would increase by 79% over the previous year and that "the value of spending will be back to 84% of 2019 levels" by the end of 2021.[16]
A report published in March 2021 by theFraser of Allander Instituteindicated that "tourism and hospitality suffered notable losses from the pandemic" and provided detailed specifics for both domestic and international visits.[17]The government announced a £56m "welcome back fund" that month to help councils and businesses in coastal towns prepare to welcome tourists back safely in summer, "as soon as theroadmapallows ".[18]
On 5 April 2021, the BBC reported that the restrictions on domestic travel were expected to be loosened during that month, at least for travel within England, Scotland and Wales. (No announcement had been made as of early April by Northern Ireland.) The news item predicted that "hotels and B&Bs [were] set to open for holidaymakers in England on 17 May at the earliest".[19]An article inThe Guardianstated that "all shops in England will be allowed to reopen from next Monday [12 April], while pubs and restaurants will be allowed to serve customers outdoors.[20]The VisitBritain website provided more specifics on 5 April as to "COVID-19 restrictions" that were expected to be loosened on 12 April but indicated that there was no confirmation as to whether the rules on international travel, either inbound or outbound, would actually be loosened in mid-May.[21]
On 6 April 2021,CNNpublished an update as to the tourism situation in the UK for visits from other nations. Any visitors from "red list" countries were still not allowed to enter unless they were UK residents. "There's still not much to do in the UK right now... although this lockdown is now being eased some restrictions will likely be in place until the summer", the report predicted, with June being the most likely time for tourism from other countries to begin a rebound.[22]
On 5 April 2021, the VisitBritain website discussed a plan to relax some restrictions on visits to the UK from other nations by mid-May.[21]The feasibility of the plan became less certain as of 8 April 2021 when sources in the European Union stated on that a "third wave of the pandemic [was sweeping] the continent"; theB117 variantwas of particular concern.[23]Two days earlier, PMBoris Johnsonhad made it clear that "We don't want to see the virus being reimported into this country from abroad".[24]
Some restrictions on hospitality and domestic tourism were loosened in England on 12 April 2021; pubs and restaurants were allowed to open their outdoor facilities; non-essential stores opened; families were allowed to travel within England "in self-contained accommodation" and travel between Wales and England was fully permitted.[25]
See also[edit]
- Lists of tourist attractions in England
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Arts, Heritage and Tourism
- Enjoy England
- Institute of Tourist Guiding
- Tourism in the United Kingdom
References[edit]
- ^"The London Eye a complete visitor guide".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved1 May2014.
- ^"International Tourism Highlights, 2019 Edition".e-unwto.org.doi:10.18111/9789284421152.
- ^"Every UNESCO World Heritage Site in the UK".TripSavvy.
- ^"Overview".visitbritain.org.10 April 2015.
- ^"Best in Travel 2020".Lonely Planet.2019.Retrieved24 April2020.
- ^"UK government in talks over expanding Covid travel 'red list'".Retrieved27 March2021.
- ^Section 4, Figure 9,"Travel trends - Office for National Statistics".ons.gov.uk.Retrieved18 July2020.
- ^"Annual Survey of Visits to Visitor Attractions: Latest results".VisitBritain.22 November 2016.Retrieved10 July2020.
- ^ab"Visits made in 2022 to Visitor Attractions in Membership with ALVA".Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.Retrieved5 April2023.
- ^"10 Interesting Facts About Hadrian's Wall | Learnodo Newtonic".learnodo-newtonic.
- ^"Discover the UK's Best Eco-Friendly Destinations | HomeToGo".HomeToGo - the search engine for holiday rentals.
- ^"English Heritage".english-heritage.org.uk.Retrieved18 July2020.
- ^"Inbound transport research".VisitBritain.20 April 2015.Retrieved18 July2020.
- ^"Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Arts, Heritage and Tourism - GOV.UK".gov.uk.Retrieved2020-01-29.
- ^"2021 tourism forecast".Retrieved8 April2021.
From mid-March to mid-July, COVID-19 triggered a near-total shutdown in international tourism... there was an increase in visitor numbers from this low point, although they remained very low, and dipped again towards the end of the year.
- ^"2021 tourism forecast".Retrieved8 April2021.
forecast assumes a slow recovery in early 2021 before a step change in the spring... followed by a gradual recovery throughout the rest of the year and beyond.
- ^"Covid-19 impact on the Tourism and Hospitality Sector, an insight from the latest Economic Commentary".Retrieved8 April2021.
... health and economic crisis... In particular, tourism and hospitality suffered notable losses from the pandemic.
- ^"English tourism hotspots to get £56m boost to 'prepare for great summer'".Retrieved20 March2021.
- ^"Covid: When can I go on holiday abroad or in the UK?".Retrieved8 April2021.
- ^"Travel industry frustrated by lack of clarity on road map to reopening".Retrieved8 April2021.
- ^ab"COVID-19 (new coronavirus) - latest information and advice for businesses".Retrieved8 April2021.
whether non-essential international travel can resume on 17 May, or whether we will need to wait longer before lifting the outbound travel restriction.
- ^"Travel to the UK during Covid-19: What you need to know before you go".Retrieved8 April2021.
It is too early to say which countries will be on the green list when non-essential international travel resumes
- ^"European travel restrictions: Nonessential travel curbed".Retrieved8 April2021.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, many countries worldwide continue to restrict entry and most travel remains discouraged.
- ^"Boris Johnson refuses to set hard date for Britain to reopen for international travel".Retrieved8 April2021.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, many countries worldwide continue to restrict entry and most travel remains discouraged.
- ^"Covid lockdown eases: Celebrations as pub gardens and shops reopen".Retrieved13 April2021.
External links[edit]
Text was copied fromEnglandat WikiTravel, which is released under aCreative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA 3.0) license.
- England travel and tourismatCurlie
- English Tourist Board
- England Wiki Travel guide
- Best UK Places
- pagemost,Interactive Google maps showing local places and attractions, complete with Flickr photographs. Search by UK place name or postcode.