Monarchy Myth #1 - They are good for tourism

When I try and make a case for republicanism the no.1 response I get from supporters of the monarchy is that they are good for tourism.  But is this true, and would it make a huge difference to our economy if we were a republic?  Let's look at the facts:

• Of the top 20 UK tourist destinations only 1 royal destination makes it to the list, Windsor Castle at No.17
• Buckingham Palace is closed to the public for the majority of the year.
• In 2008 Visit Britain surveyed 28,000 tourists about what attracted them to Britain.  The Royals were pretty low on more tourists lists as shown in this Telegraph article

Information taken from the Republic website at http://www.republic.org.uk/What%20we%20want/In%20depth/Tourism/index.php

Find out more about Republic and their campaign for an elected alternative to the monarchy at http://www.republic.org.uk/