Natural History Museum named UK’s most popular tourist attraction as it bucks trend

Travel
20 Mar 2026 • 5:23 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • London's Natural History Museum (NHM) set a new record in 2025, becoming the UK's most visited tourist attraction with 7.1 million visitors.
  • This figure represents a 13% increase from the previous year and marks an all-time high for a UK museum or gallery, according to Alva.
  • The NHM's 'Fixing Our Broken Planet' exhibition, which opened in April 2025, attracted over two million visitors, making it the museum's second most popular space.
  • Across the UK, 409 popular tourist attractions recorded a combined 165.2 million visits last year, a 2% rise, but still 7% below pre-coronavirus levels from 2019.
  • The overall shortfall in visitor numbers is partly due to a decline in Chinese tourists, which Alva attributes to the 2020 decision to end tax-free shopping for inbound visitors.

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