East Midlands’ most visited attractions revealed

Sherwood Pines and Wollaton Hall were the most visited attractions in the East Midlands last year, new figures reveal.

According to Visit England’s annual attraction survey, the forest park near Mansfield attracted approximately 705,000 visitors in 2021, while Wollaton Hall – a Grade I listed Elizabethan mansion set in 500 acres of parkland – welcomed around 651,000 people.

Visit England says these numbers put the two sites “comfortably” ahead of other attractions in the region.

The next most visited sites were Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, which received 540,927 visitors during the period, and Twycross Zoo, which welcomed 420,652.

The survey reveals that visits to East Midlands attractions increased by 22% in 2021 – an impressive statistic given that many were operating at reduced capacity due to the pandemic.

Kinga Kapias, marketing and communications manager at Visit Nottinghamshire, said: “Seeing Sherwood Pines and Wollaton Hall topping Visit England’s annual visitor attraction survey in the East Midlands is incredibly positive for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire’s visitor economy. It demonstrates their huge appeal and the power they have to bring hundreds of thousands of visitors into the region. They’re terrific attractions with both national and international draw and their visitor numbers are testament a to their great offering.

“It’s also encouraging to see that visitor numbers are slowly returning and that the industry is bouncing back following the pandemic. The data released by Visit England also demonstrates the importance of tourism for the local economy and the potential of visitor attractions to draw huge numbers of people into Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.”

A Forestry England spokesperson added: “2021 was definitely a really busy year for Sherwood Pines, and it was great to see so many people coming to enjoy everything we have on offer here.

“As well as providing a beautiful destination for a day out, the forest environment is also scientifically proven to have many health and wellbeing benefits, which has been important for so many of us during these unsettling times. And although things may feel more normal now, our walking trails, cycling trails, play areas and picnic spots are still a popular draw for people across the East Midlands as a place to recharge, refresh and escape the daily grind.”