The total number of visits made to visitor attractions in England increased by 3 per cent during 2010.

The boost in visits was driven predominantly by those made to free attractions which increased by 6 per cent.

Paid attractions which took part in the survey reported an overall decline of 1 per cent, reflecting the uncertainties experienced by the UK economy.

The majority of the top twenty free attractions were museums or art galleries, with the British Museum retaining its top spot with 5.8 million visitors followed by the Tate Modern, National Gallery and Natural History Museum.

The Tower of London topped the paid for category with 2.4 million visits, followed by St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Windermere Lake Cruises, and Flamingo Land Theme Park & Zoo.

Many operators, such as Merlin Entertainments - which runs major attractions such as the London Eye, Thorpe Park and Alton Towers - did not submit their figures for the report.

James Berresford, VisitEngland's chief executive, said: "England has a wealth of top class visitor attractions many of which are free.

"We know Britons are even more worried about the economy and this will have an impact on their holiday choices."