Tourism in London

Tourism in London

London, the capital city of England, is one of the world's most visited cities in terms of international visits. It is home to an array of notable tourist attractions, attracting 20.42 million international visitors in 2018, an additional 27.8 million overnighting domestic tourists in 2017, and 280 million day trippers in 2015.

The travel and tourism sector in the United Kingdom contributed GBP66.3 billion to the gross domestic product (GDP), 3.4% of total GDP in 2016 and is expected to rise by 2.2% pa, from 2017 to 2027, to GBP84.6 billion, which could comprise up to 3.6% of the total GDP in 2027. In 2011, visitors to London spent £9.4 billion, which is a little more than half of the total amount international visitors spent in the whole of the United Kingdom the same year. A 2013 study by Deloitte and Oxford Economics concluded that the tourism sector employed 700,000 people, accounting for 11.6 per cent of London's GDP.

There are many museums and art galleries in the London area, the majority of which are free to enter. Many of them are popular places for tourism. In addition to Tate Modern and the National Gallery, notable galleries include Tate Britain and the National Portrait Gallery.

London has several parks for tourists to stroll, rest and relax in. They include Hyde Park, Regent's Park, Green Park, St. James's Park, Hampstead Heath and Greenwich Park.

Public transportation is essential in bringing tourists to and from attractions, and deciding the means of and cost of their travel. London's transportation can also be an attraction in itself. London offers many forms of public transportation: the Underground (commonly referred to as the Tube), double decker red buses, and taxis. Tourists can purchase Travelcards to take the Tube, bus, or overground trains through designated zones.