London: It looks like the charm of the Buckingham Palace has lost its lustre, for a new research has found that visiting British Royals is no longer a major attraction for tourists.
The research, conducted for VisitBritain, the body responsible for promoting British tourism, asked 26,000 people in 26 countries to score Britain as a holiday destination. In particular, they were asked if they wanted to visit Buckingham Palace.
The survey found that most visitors would rather shop at the famous department store Harrods than visit Royal attractions such as Buckingham Palace.
The interest in visiting Buckingham Palace was "not overwhelmingly strong" among all respondents.
Residents in Germany, Norway, France and the Netherlands were particularly dismissive and scored Buckingham Palace only just above a full English breakfast among the things they most wanted to experience in Britain.
Most were also unimpressed by other Royal residences, places with historical royal links such as the Tower of London and properties used as a royal home in films.
Natives of Norway rated visiting royal sites as number 14 on their list of things to do, behind shopping, football matches and musicals, while Spaniards put them ninth, even though other museums, castles and stately homes were a priority.
Visitors from Malaysia, Mexico, India, Hungary, China and Russia, however, still want their photographs taken outside the famous gates.
"Buckingham Palace is still a very popular tourist attraction, but it's not the be all and end all of a visit to Britain. It's one of those iconic photo destinations and we try to discourage 'tick-box tourism' - just going and having your photo taken somewhere and moving on,” the Telegraph quoted Elliot Frisby, VisitBritain's Corporate PR Manager, as saying.
He added: "It's more about the experience - going to a local pub and seeing what British culture is all about. More and more people want to learn more and involve themselves in British culture."
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