Of the UK’s most-visited sites that charge for admission, the zoo was rated as the public’s favourite, receiving the highest customer score.
The Which? survey asked 3,001 members of the public for their views on the UK tourist attractions they visited between May 2009 and May 2011.
And the zoo achieved high marks with a score of 78%, based on overall satisfaction and the likelihood to recommend to friends and family.
The report rated the UK’s largest zoo highly for its ‘range and quality of facilities, along with the entertainment and engagement offered’.
Barbara Smith, Chester Zoo’s Managing Director said, “Families come to us for a great value day out, all year round and we’re delighted the zoo has been recognised in this way.
“We’ve built lots of immersive exhibits, placing visitors really close to the animals and we regularly stage different events to create a highly entertaining, fun and educational experience for all of our visitors.
“Since the Which? survey has been concluded, we’ve also completely refurbished and re-themed our restaurants and food outlets to bring visitors a tastier food offering, in much more authentic and vibrant surroundings.
“And we’ve unveiled the biggest exhibition in the zoos history – Dinosaurs at Large! – bringing over 13 animatronic dinosaurs from the States in another UK-zoo first”.
The survey said the average time spent at the zoo was five hours with the average cost per hour being £3.40 – less than any other paid for attraction in the top 20 of the UK’s 20 most-visited.
Barbara added: “With over 7,000 animals to see across 110 acres of beautiful, landscaped gardens, Chester Zoo will certainly keep you busy for the whole day.
“And we offer great value for money, providing free parking alongside our very competitive ticket prices”.
“Chester Zoo, like all forward-thinking organisations, is always evolving and offering new, bigger and better experiences for visitors.
“We’re always striving to give our visitors more and more and we hope to share plans for other exciting developments in the not too distant future”.
Customer scores and star ratings for all 20 attractions appear in the August issue of Which? magazine.