The guide also went on to bemoan the inconvenient opening times of many attractions, the fact that so many places stay shut for as long as half a year and subsequently have to limit their numbers when they finally open their doors; and the lack of effort to link attractions with places to stay and public transport.

However, all was not entirely doom and gloom. "On the plus side," Mr Aird went on to say, "is the amazing number of establishments that not only stay open for the whole year, but are absolutely free. This year we have been particularly impressed by the friendliness and helpfulness of all the people we dealt with in Scotland."

Mr Aird also praised "the thousands of volunteers helping to staff so many of the country's attractions, from little local museums to great historic buildings".

Britain's top tourist attractions

Family attraction of the year Ironbridge Gorge Museum, Shropshire.

Visitor city of the year York.

Museum of the year Imperial War Museum, London.

Newcomer attraction of the year The Deep, Hull.

Gallery of the year The National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh.

Historic house of the year Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire (Sir Winston Churchill's birthplace).

Living museum of the year Historic Quay, Hartlepool, Northumbria.

Specialist museum of the year National Space Centre, Leicester.

Theme park of the year Thorpe Park in Surrey.

Castle of the year Warwick Castle.

Discovery centre of the year Thinktank, Birmingham.

Tour of the year National Coal Mining Museum, Middlestown, Yorkshire.

Railway of the year Snowdon Mountain Railway, Llanberis, North Wales.

Zoo of the year Chester Zoo, Cheshire.

Garden of the year Groombridge Place Gardens, Kent.

Adventure of the year Hawkstone Park Follies, Shropshire.

Aquarium of the year National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth.

Farm park of the year Cotswold Farm Park, Kineton, Gloucestershire.

Boat trip of the year Lundy Day Trip, north Devon.

Bird centre of the year Flamingo Park Wildlife Encounter, Isle of Wight.

Conclusion

Tour operators and travel agents cater to almost every need in the UK. Many have bases overseas. Your nearest British Tourist Authority (BTA) office will provide information on the tour operators and travel agents in your country that organise holidays and tours to the UK. You can also use the BTA's VisitBritain website to search their directory of tour operators and travel agents who offer online booking.

Your local tourist operators or those based in the UK can provide a broad range of services to make your visit easy and comfortable. They can help you plan and book every part of your journey, as you wish it, sending you advanced information about the regions you will visit, the accommodation you will stay in, special activities and other needs. Others offer travel packages where you join in a variety of pre-arranged tours. Many tours involve travel by coach with accommodation in hotels recommended by the AA, RAC, and the English Tourist Council, among other accommodation grading systems. If you use the services of UK-based travel agents, you are recommended to choose agents that are members of the Association of British Travel Agencies (ABTA).

Many tour companies provide holidays geared to special interests. For example there are specialist operators offering yacht chartering and sailing holidays; garden tours; rambling and hill-walking holidays; horse-riding and trekking; golf or tennis holidays; cycling holidays; canal boating. Others provide tickets and travel to all kinds of sport events, or packages including hotel, theatre tickets and organised visits to key sites.

The national tourist boards can provide details about recommended tour operators in their regions.

Literature

Barclays UK Hotels & Catering, December 2007.

http://www.londonlink.co.za

http://uk.paley.com