Flamingo Land among the most visited attractions in the UK

Credit: PA

Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire has made it into the top 5 visited attractions in the UK.

The theme park, zoo and resort in Malton had 1,610,556 visitors through it's gates last year, making it the 4th most visited attraction in the UK in 2016.

Flamingo Land was beaten only by the Tower of London, which took the top spot, followed by Chester Zoo in second place, with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Gardens coming in third.

Tigers at Flamingo Land zoo in Malton Credit: PA

Gardens and zoos saw the most significant growth in visitors to attractions last year, according to VisitEngland’s Annual Attractions Survey.

The survey, which gathered information from more than 1500 English attractions, found that historic houses and castles reported a 7% increase in visitor numbers, and country parks a 4% increase.

Outdoor attractions performed particularly well, with gardens and zoos showing growth of 8%.

In line with VisitEngland’s Great Britain Tourism Survey results, coastal and rural attractions experienced strong growth of 4% and 5% respectively.

In the North East Durham Cathedral topped the list as the most visited free attraction.

1. Durham Cathedral

Durham Cathedral Credit: PA

2. Great North Museum: Hancock

3. Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens

In a list of paid attractions in the North East, Beamish Museum took the top spot:

1. Beamish Museum - The Living Museum of the North

Beamish Credit: PA

2. Gibside Country Park

3. Cragside House, Gardens and Estate