A prominent industry body has revealed the UK's most visited attractions in 2022, with eleven of these being in Scotland.

This research comes as the culture sector attempts to recover footfall after years of restrictions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

The research undertaken by the organisation noted that while there are many pressures on the industry, visitor numbers across the country had increased by 118%.

In Scotland, this figure was up 128% compared to the previous year, marking an upward trend.

Irvine Times: (PA) Visitor numbers were up 128% in Scotland last year(PA) Visitor numbers were up 128% in Scotland last year (Image: PA)

Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (AVLA) Director, Bernard Donoghue said of the research: “These figures show that visitors flocked back to their favourite places in 2022 to breathe, heal, repair and to enjoy special moments with special people in special places.

"The year ended strongly with attractions reporting a very busy Christmas, strong visitor numbers and strong retail sales. People clearly wanted to create special memories with their loved ones after two difficult years and a challenging economic climate.”

“Many attractions are still not back up to 2019 visitor levels due, mainly, to the absence of international visitors, notably from China and the Far East, but I am confident that they will return this year and we will see a continuing healthy recovery."

Windsor Great Park found to be the most visited attraction in the UK by AVLA

The most visited attraction in the UK continued to be Windsor Great Park after more than five million visitors attended the location last year.

Up next was the Natural History Museum in South Kensington which had over 4.5 million visits, making it the most visited indoor attraction in the UK.

Other destinations included the British Museum, the Tate Modern and the Southbank Centre.

Scottish locations ranked among the UK's most visited 

The National Museum of Scotland was found to be the highest visited attraction in Scotland at 11th place across the UK.

Edinburgh Castle was the most visited paid attraction, with the historical site being the 16th most visited across the Isles, rising from 41st place in 2021.

Here is the full list of the Scottish attractions named among the most visited and their UK rank:

1. National Museum of Scotland (11th)

Number of visitors: 1,973,751

2. Edinburgh Castle (16th)

Number of visitors: 1,346,168

3. Scottish National Gallery (17th)

Number of visitors: 1,277,230

4. Glasgow's Riverside Museum (19th)

Number of visitors: 1,173,242

5. Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh (23rd)

Number of visitors: 996,597

6. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum (27th)

Number of visitors: 891,114

7. National War Museum Edinburgh (38th)

Number of visitors: 699,178

8. Edinburgh Zoo (53rd)

Number of visitors: 601,285

9. The Burrell Collection (68th)

Number of visitors: 482,984

10. Stirling Castle (79th)

Number of visitors: 418,180

11. Glenfinnan Monument (86th)

Number of visitors: 398,130

A number of other Scottish locations did not make the top 100 with places like Glencoe Visitor Centre coming in at 105th and the Gallery of Modern Art at 112.

The full report on the most visited UK attractions for 2022 can be found on the AVLA website.