The table compares the number of visitors (in millions) to five major tourist attractions in Europe — the British Museum, the Rijksmuseum, amusement parks, zoos, and the National Aquatic Centre — over the period from 1981 to 2001.
Overall, amusement parks consistently remained the most popular attraction throughout the 20-year period, despite minor fluctuations. In contrast, zoos attracted the fewest visitors, with their numbers remaining almost unchanged. The British Museum and the Rijksmuseum experienced notable growth, while the National Aquatic Centre saw a steady decline in attendance.
In 1981, amusement parks had the highest number of visitors at 7.50 million, whereas zoos had the lowest, at just 1.01 million. The British Museum and the Rijksmuseum recorded 2.98 million and 2.44 million visitors, respectively, while the National Aquatic Centre attracted 3.85 million.
By 1991, both museums had grown in popularity, with the British Museum increasing to 3.75 million and the Rijksmuseum reaching 3.50 million. Meanwhile, visitor numbers for amusement parks declined slightly to 6.80 million, and the National Aquatic Centre dropped to 3.35 million. Zoo attendance fell marginally to 1.00 million.
In 2001, the upward trend for both museums continued, as they rose to 4.30 million and 4.28 million respectively — nearly overtaking the amusement parks, which slightly recovered to 7.01 million. The National Aquatic Centre’s figures declined further to 3.21 million, and the number of zoo visitors returned to 1.01 million, the same as in 1981.