More money than ever is being invested in heritage attractions and historic sites but visitor number have decreased according to a new report by the English Tourism Council (ETC).

The Heritage Monitor 2000/2001, published in partnership with English Heritage, shows that although lottery funding for heritage projects was more than £100m during 2000, around 54 million people visited heritage sites in 2000/2001, a figure down four per cent on 1999. Spending at these sites was around £280m.

Historic properties faced a challenging year in 2000. Almost all historic attractions felt the impact of fewer overseas visitors, said Mary Lynch, ETC chief executive. Looking to the future it is vital that attractions seize the opportunity presented to British tourism after the events of 11 September and focus their advertising and marketing campaigns more on the domestic market.

With 2.3 million visitors, The Tower of London was the UK's most popular historic attraction, followed by York Minster, Canterbury Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. In addition to this, more than 40 smaller properties including Fort Brockhurst in Gosport and Lodge Park in Aldsworth increased their visitors by more than 20 per cent.

Other key findings from the 25th edition of the ETC's annual report were European visitors to the UK fell by four per cent to 16 million in 2000, while around two thirds of all visitors to historic properties are from the UK. Details: +44 (0)870 606 7204