Two Teignbridge attractions are among the 20 most-visited free tourist destinations in the south west.

The VisitEngland annual attractions survey, published on Wednesday (June 18), ranked Bovey Tracey art gallery Make SouthWest as the sixth most popular attraction in the south west while Newton Abbot museum was the 19th most visited in the region.

MAKE Southwest in Bovey Tracey saw a 9% increase in visitor numbers compared with the previous year with around 98,000 visitors coming through its doors in 2024 compared with 90,000 in 2023.

Newton Abbot Museum also saw visitor numbers rise with 14,948 visitors walking through the doors of Newton’s Place in 2024, up 3% on 2023.

While both attractions saw visitor numbers increase, VisitEngland noted that many tourist attractions found 2024 to be a tough year.

Attractions across the country reported limited growth with average visitor numbers rising by just 1.4% compared with 2023 and remaining well below pre-Covid levels.

MAKE Southwest and Newton Abbot Museum also buck the national trend of museums and art galleries struggling to recover to pre-Covid numbers.

Nationally, ‘museums and art galleries show the biggest shortfall compared to pre-pandemic levels having suffered one of the sharpest declines and limited recovery over the last 12 months,’ the VisitEngland ‘Visitor Attraction Trends in England 2024’ report said.

The biggest increases in visitor numbers in England were mainly seen in farms, heritage centres and places of worship.

Many attractions struggled in 2024 due to a decrease in domestic day trips and overnight trips and the wider cost of living crisis.

Economic pressures also impacted visitor attractions with many reporting paying more to energy providers and suppliers alongside higher staffing costs.

VisitEngland said the highest performing attractions across the country cited longer opening times, popular, temporary or new exhibitions and increased marketing and PR for their growing footfall.