Chester Cathedral and Chester Zoo shone in Visit England's newly published Annual Attractions Survey.

The results demonstrate how Cheshire's "world-class" tourism industry is a powerhouse for the area, Marketing Cheshire has said.

Generating £3.9 billion a year for the local economy, Cheshire and Warrington's tourism sector supports 38,000 jobs and welcomes over 56 million visitors.

Cheshire scored high amongst England's most popular visitor attractions, with Chester Zoo ranked third on the National Top 20 Most Visited Paid Attractions for the second year in a row.

The data shows it amassed 1,947,544 visitors alone in 2024 - with only the Tower of London (first) and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (second) ranking higher.

Founded over 1,000 years ago, the Grade-I listed Chester Cathedral ranks seventh in the list of the North West's top free visitor attractions

Cheshire also showed its popularity regionally with seven entries in the North West's Top 20 Most Visited Paid Attractions.

Chester Zoo, the most visited attraction in the UK outside London, tops this list.

Cristian Marcucci, Managing Director at Marketing Cheshire said: "Today's rankings showcase just how important and popular our attractions are to the region's economy.

"Cheshire and Warrington is blessed with world class attractions from Chester's Roman history, world famous zoo and beloved racecourse - to name just a few.

"It is wonderful that millions of people from across the North West and beyond are coming here."

Jamie Christon, chair of Marketing Cheshire and CEO of Chester Zoo, said: "It's great to see Chester Zoo ranked third in the national table and topping the North West rankings – and joined in the most visited lists by so many brilliant attractions that help fuel Cheshire and Warrington's £3.9bn visitor economy.

"The region's world class tourism offer continues to evolve with new attractions for 2025 including Lapland UK bringing it's premium Christmas experience to Capesthorne Hall, creating 1,200 seasonal jobs."