TOURISM: Attractions' pulling power grows

The tourism industry was boosted last year by a 3 per cent increase in the number of visitors to attractions in the United Kingdom - the biggest rise for six years, figures showed yesterday.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach was the most popular overall attraction, while Alton Towers kept its spot as the most visited place charging admission. The newcomer in the British Tourist Authority's top 10 paid-for attractions of 1996 was Legoland, which attracted 1.4 million visitors in its first year.

In all, more than 60 per cent of the top tourist attractions reported an increase in visitors during the year, according to the BTA survey.