London Tourism Statistics

London, a city known for its rich history, vibrant culture, and iconic landmarks, ranging from the historic walls of the Tower of London to the modern marvel that is the London Eye, has consistently ranked as a top tourist destination worldwide.

Over 20 million people visit London each year, making it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.

• London welcomed 20.95 million international visitors in 2024 (year ending December).
• Compared to 2022, when there were 16.13 million visitors, the 2024 figures represented a 29.8% increase.
• This also marked an increase from 2020’s 3.70 million visitors (approximately 466%) and from 2021’s 2.72 million visitors (about 670%).
• Despite this recovery, 2024 visitor numbers were still approximately 3.5% lower than the 21.71 million visitors in 2019 and 2017¹.

How many people visited London in 2024?

London welcomed 20.95 million international visitors in 2024.

• This represented a 3.5% decrease compared to 2019 and a 3.3% increase compared to 2023.

How many people visited London in 2023?

In 2023, London welcomed 20.28 million international visitors, marking a 25.7% increase compared to 2022 (16.13 million visitors).

• Despite this recovery, the figure was still 6.6% lower than the 21.71 million visitors recorded in 2019.

Over the years, from pre-pandemic to post-pandemic, the USA remained the largest source of London’s international tourism.

France has been the second-largest source of visitors, although recent years have seen an increase in tourists from the Republic of Ireland, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

• In 2019, the U.S. led with 3.09 million visitors, followed by France with 1.8 million, Germany with 1.5 million, Italy with 1.4 million, and Ireland rounding out the top five with 1.2 million visitors.
• By 2021, the U.S. maintained its lead despite a decrease to 390,000 visitors, with France at 327,000, Ireland at 213,000, Spain at 175,000, and Germany at 168,000.
• In 2023, the USA led with 3.47 million visits, followed by France with 1.56 million, Germany with 1.48 million, Spain with 1.11 million, and Italy with 1.09 million visitors².

• London has consistently ranked as the top destination for both international and domestic visitors in the UK over the years and from 2019 to 2022³.
• In 2024, on a global scale, it was the 3rd highest-ranked city for international arrivals, with only Bangkok and Istanbul surpassing it⁴.

• The best time to visit London is during the summer, in June, July, and August. In London, January and February are the coldest months while November sees the most rainfall.
• For those looking to avoid crowds, the shoulder seasons (mid-September to November and March to April) are less busy, offering a more relaxed experience.

In 2024, London attracted tourists for numerous reasons, with leisure vacations topping the list.

• Approximately 10.92 million people, accounting for over half (52.1%) of all visits, chose London as their holiday destination. Following closely, the desire to visit friends and relatives motivated 5.13 million journeys, making up 24.5% of the total visits.
• Business trips also contributed significantly, bringing in 3.32 million visitors, which was 15.8% of the annual total.
• Apart from these main reasons, London hosted around 1.59 million additional travellers (7.6% of the year’s total) for varied reasons. These included attending sporting events, shopping excursions, medical visits, religious activities, and trips with multiple purposes.

International visitors consistently spent more nights in London compared to domestic visitors.

• In 2016, international tourists stayed for a total of 111 million nights, while domestic tourists spent 26.34 million nights.
• The following year, 2017, international nights slightly increased to 114 million, and domestic stays rose to 27.84 million.
• The trend for international tourists dipped slightly in 2018 with 110 million total nights, but domestic tourists slightly increased their stays to 27.89 million nights.
• 2019 marked the highest stay for international tourists, recording 118 million nights, whereas domestic tourists spent 28.47 million nights.

The British Museum has consistently been a top destination, ranking as the number one most-visited free attraction in London according to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA).

• The British Museum recorded 6.48 million visitors in 2024, representing a 4% increase from 6.23 million visitors in 2019 and 11.3% increase from 5.82 million visitors in 2023.
• During the pandemic, attendance dropped by 79% to approximately 1.28 million in 2020.
• Recovery began in 2022 with 4.1 million visitors and in 2023, the figure rose to 5.82 million.

How many people visit Big Ben every year?

Big Ben attracts up to 5 million visitors annually, making it one of the most highly visited landmarks in the world⁵.

• Before the pandemic, Big Ben was the most Instagrammed tourist spot, with over 2.5 million tags by 2017.