SCOTLAND'S 10 most popular visitor attractions have been revealed as the country's tourism sector continues to be badly hit by the pandemic.
New figures, published today by the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions, in conjunction with Glasgow Caledonian University’s Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism Development, show the top 10 attractions with paid entry.
Scotland’s top ten attractions with paid entry in 2021, in descending order of their visitor numbers, were: Edinburgh Zoo, Edinburgh Castle, Glenfinnan Monument, Culzean Castle and Country Park, Highland Wildlife Park, Stirling Castle, Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, Crathes Castle, Urquhart Castle, and Almond Valley Heritage Centre.
The top ten free attractions in 2021 were: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, National Museum of Scotland, Greyfriars Kirkyard, Riverside Museum, Scottish National Gallery, Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, National War Museum, St Giles Cathedral, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, and Old Calton Burial Ground.
READ MORE: Slump in international visitors to Scottish attractions expected to last until 2025
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum was the free attraction with the biggest decrease in visitors since 2019, with 288,212 going in 2021 compared to 1,543,885 two years earlier (-84.3%). This was followed by St Giles Cathedral (-82.8%) and the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh at -80.9%.
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