London tourist attractions saw big boost in 2022

The Natural History Museum is one of London's most popular attractions

London's tourist attractions saw a large increase in visitors in 2022 compared with 2021, research has shown.

Last summer's tourist season was the first without Covid-19 restrictions on socialising in place in the UK since 2020.

City Hall researchers also found a rise in international flights arriving in London compared to certain points in 2019, before the pandemic began.

In 2019, London was the third most-visited city in the world.

The capital received 21 million visitors, with the tourism industry employing 700,000 people and accounting for 11.6% of the capital's economic output, according to the London Assembly.

However, tourism came to a virtual stop in 2020 amid lockdowns and international visiting restrictions.

Last year, the mayor of London's office launched a campaign to help the industry recover.

There has been a rise in the number of international flights arriving in London at times this year, compared with 2019, according to research

Researchers at City Hall have analysed tourism data and found:

• London's tourist attractions enjoyed a 141% increase in footfall in 2022 compared with 2021, according to a survey of 85 venues by Visit England

• A separate report found there was a 131% increase in accommodation bookings in London last year compared with 2021, making it the most popular European city for an overnight stay

• There has been a rise this year in the number of international flights arriving in London compared with 2019, before the pandemic began - 19% in April and 15% in May - according to Forward Keys

Analysts at Tourism Economics have predicted that two million more international arrivals will come to London this year compared with 2022, bringing an additional £674m to the capital.

Bernard Donoghue, director of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, said: "London has bounced back and these astonishing visitor figures for London's favourite attractions show that clearly."

At the start of July, more than one million people attended live music shows in one week, while later in the month cinemas enjoyed the busiest weekend for ticket sales in four years with the premieres of Barbie and Oppenheimer.

The National Portrait Gallery and Young V&A opened in June following extensive refurbishments, while the Natural History Museum hosts the colossal Titanosaur, and the Tower of London hosts the Coronation bench trail.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: "Our capital is roaring back with tourists from around the world joining Londoners in enjoying all of the fantastic attractions on offer."

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