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Britain's top free and paid-for visitor attractions have been unveiled, with the Tower of London rated the number one paid-for tourist location in the country.

VisitBritain revealed that the Tower of London received more than 2m visits in 2007, followed by St Paul's Cathedral (1.6m) and Pleasure Beach in Great Yarmouth (1.4m).

Xscape Milton Keynes was the top free attraction, with 6.9m visits last year, followed by Blackpool Pleasure Beach and the British Museum, which saw 5.5m and 5.4m visits respectively.

Overall, visits to attractions increased by 3% last year, according to the VisitBritain survey.

Tom Wright, chief executive of the tourism organisation, said: 'This research demonstrates the demand for all types of attractions in England, and that consumers are getting less likely to be swayed by the influence of the weather.

'Come rain or shine our world-renowned attractions offer something for all our visitors, whatever the season. Current campaigns are encouraging even more visitors to enjoy our attractions in these challenging times.'

Of the various attraction sectors, visitor and heritage centres saw the biggest increase in visitation last year of 12%, followed by the leisure and theme park and art galleries and museums sectors, which both increased by 3%.

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