Visits to tourist attractions: 2021

Main findings

• 17.4 million visits made to attractions which provided data in 2021
• 64% of these visits were to free attractions, whilst 36% were to paid attractions.
• The most visited type of attraction was wildlife or nature reserves, which accounted for 28% of visits to attractions in 2021
• Visits to attractions increased by 68% in 2021 from 2020, but visits were still 33% lower than visits in 2019.
• The proportion of attractions open each month in 2021 was highest in August and September, when 83% were open.
• The results vary by venue type. In August 2021, only 62% of purely indoor attractions were open, compared to 95% of outdoor attractions, and 93% of attractions which have both indoor and outdoor elements.
• Around half (48%) of attractions said their average operating capacity when open in 2021 was between 80% and full capacity.
• Most attractions reported an increase in visitors in 2021 (85%), 3% said they stayed the same, and 12% said their visitor numbers decreased.
• Average admission charges rose by 6% for adults and 10% for children.
• Qualitative comments suggest that recruitment was a significant challenge in 2021. Even if attractions wanted to hire more staff, not all were able to fill the positions they were recruiting for. This has continued for some into 2022.