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Travel+Leisure

This Is Now the U.K.'s Most Popular Tourist Attraction Thanks to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Stacey Leasca
Updated

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s beautiful wedding helped the world believe in fairy tales again — and it also helped the local economy.

An estimate by Britain's Office of National Statistics before the wedding predicted it would bring in about $680 million thanks to visitors, souvenirs, and hotel stays. According to Forbes, an astonishing 29 million Americans tuned in to watch the royal couple say their vows. And one little town is still feeling some positive effects.

As Harper’s Bazaar reported, the town of Windsor, where the wedding was held, has become quite the popular summer tourist destination.

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For example, since the wedding took place in May, Windsor Castle’s bookings have increased by a whopping 92 percent. Though really, this isn’t a huge surprise for those who oversee tourism in the United Kingdom, including Patricia Yates, from VisitBritain.

“It’s the fairy story of an American girl marrying a British prince,” she told the Telegraph after the wedding celebration. “We expect it to lead to a boost in tourists coming over in the weeks and months ahead, who will then travel to our heritage sites across Britain.”

Beyond Windsor, several other destinations across the U.K. also saw a boost. According to Harper’s Bazaar, which analyzed data from Isango!, an online retailer of global tours, Windsor Castle has become the leading summer attraction, followed by the London "Hop on Hop Off" bus tour. Next, the data showed, guests still love visiting the Tower of London, where they can check out all the royal family’s crown jewels, followed by a cruise down the River Thames.

In total, the data showed a 56-percent overall growth in ticket sales in the U.K. And hopefully the good times will keep rolling as Princess Eugenie and her fiance Jack Brooksbank are also expected to walk down the aisle at Windsor Castle this fall.

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