![Undated photo of the Palace Museum in Beijing. [File photo: Xinhua]](http://img1.zhytuku.meldingcloud.com/images/zhycms_chinaplus/20181216/35181154-37e0-4f71-a8da-f185c3bf6b0c.jpg?x-oss-process=image/resize,w_650)
New figures show the Palace Museum, better known as the Forbidden City, has received 17 million visitors this year, making it the most visited museum in the world, reports Beijing Morning Post.
The number of visitors to the Palace Museum hit 10 million in 2009. Attendance has continued growing rapidly since hitting that milestone, according to the museum.
Analysis shows visitors below the age of 30 are the main force, accounting for 40 percent of the visitors to the Forbidden City.
![Tourists visit the Palace Museum in Beijing on June 14, 2018. [File photo: VCG]](http://img0.zhytuku.meldingcloud.com/images/zhycms_chinaplus/20181216/4a5ab107-e024-4b5d-86a7-ab74c7634786.jpg?x-oss-process=image/resize,w_650)
In an attempt to ease pressure on the ancient structure, Palace Museum officials have limited daily visitors to no more than 80,000 over the course of 76 days this year. Museum officials say the number of off-season visitors has also seen steady growth this year, taking up nearly 30 percent of all visits to the palace complex.
The Palace Museum is now 80 percent accessible to the public, up from just 20 percent in 2012.
