With 5 galleries across England, each with different specialities, the Tates are the country's most popular art exhibitors. Tate Modern, in particular, hits headlines with the array and variety of work that has been seen within its walls over the past twelve years. Last year it enjoyed the highest number of visitors it had ever received with 5.3million people walking through its doors, reports ArtLyst.

"It has been an extraordinary year at Tate Modern," Alex Bear, Tate's deputy director said. They have spent the year "[O]pening the world's first museum galleries permanently dedicated to exhibiting live art, performance, installation and film works alongside an outstanding exhibition programme which has undoubtedly fuelled the increase in visitors." 

The main part of the gallery is free entry, but also includes biyearly exhibitions from the world's best artists. This coming year will see Paul Klee and pop-art mogul Roy Lichtenstein gracing the walls and floors of the Tate Modern. Plus, with the enormous turbine hall, there is the room to include some of the most exciting installations of contemporary art as part of the Unilever Series. Past installations that have been seen in the Turbine Hall have included Olafur Eliasson's stunning 'The Weather Project 2003', which was an enormous glowing orb which looked like the sun, in the rafters of the hall, giving off intense orange light. 

While the gallery hopes for the figures to continue high over the following year, the Olympics and thousands of people flooding to London for that iconic event will have undoubtedly had an impact on the visitors to London's other major tourist hot spots.