Chester Zoo is the second most visited paid-for tourist attraction, a survey by Visit England has revealed.

Coming second only to the Tower of London, the zoo received its highest ever ranking in the Annual Attractions survey with almost 1.9 million visitors last year, moving up from number five in 2016's list.

Andean bear cub's first treetop adventure at Chester Zoo

It's yet another accolade for the zoo, which was also named Best Zoo in the UK and Top Most Visited Tourist Attraction outside London.

Jamie Christon, Chester Zoo’s chief operating officer, said: “The opening of our ground-breaking Islands habitats, taking visitors on an expedition through six South East Asian islands and bringing our overseas conservation work to life, is just one of many reasons that almost 1.9m people chose to spend their time with us last year.

"Thank you to every one of them. Every visitor who walks through our gates helps to fund the vital conservation work we deliver to protect threatened species here in the UK and all around the world. That is crucial to our success as people know their visit is making a difference.

Kitani's calf was the first of the two rare rhinos to be born at Chester Zoo in a week


“Chester Zoo jumping up from fifth to second in the list of the country’s top attractions demonstrates that desire within all of us to connect with wildlife.”

VisitEngland Chief Executive Sally Balcombe added: There are so many outstanding attractions offering year-round experiences throughout the country.

"Attractions are a much loved and valuable part of the tourism landscape, adding colour and variety to the visitor experience and encouraging people to get out and explore, driving the value of tourism across the regions.”