British Museum most visited UK attraction in 2012
But ALVA blames Olympics and weather for declining figures
The British Museum (BM) topped the Association of Leading Visitor Attraction’s (ALVA) annual roundup of visitor figures across UK venues for the sixth year in a row with a total of 5.6 million visitors in 2012.
The BM's success was, in part, down to the huge popularity of its exhibition Grayson Perry: The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman.
Despite seeing a 4.7% decline in visitor figures from 2011, the BM was the first of seven London national museums in the top ten most visited attractions last year, which also included the Tower of London, National Museum of Scotland (NMS) and St Paul’s Cathedral.
The inclusion of NMS in ALVA’s top ten is a first for a Scottish attraction, and the museum saw a 29.1% increase in visitors from 2011, a total of 1.9 million.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow also came high in the table, with over a million visitors, and a 5.8% increase in visitors in 2012.
The most visited English attraction outside London was the Museum of Liverpool, also with over a million visitors, and a massive 53% increase in footfall from the previous year.
Many attractions saw a decline in visitor figures in 2012, which ALVA put down to a combination of the weather and the Olympics. Of 30 attractions that saw a double-digit decline, 27 were gardens or outdoor attractions.
Bernard Donoghue, director of ALVA, commented: “We are delighted with the visitor figures and although the Olympics deterred visitors from Central London, and there was a noticeable decline in visitors to attractions while the Games took place, the recovery was almost immediate after the Games left town.”
The figures do not include museums in Wales (although National Trust properties are included) or Northern Ireland.
The BM's success was, in part, down to the huge popularity of its exhibition Grayson Perry: The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman.
Despite seeing a 4.7% decline in visitor figures from 2011, the BM was the first of seven London national museums in the top ten most visited attractions last year, which also included the Tower of London, National Museum of Scotland (NMS) and St Paul’s Cathedral.
The inclusion of NMS in ALVA’s top ten is a first for a Scottish attraction, and the museum saw a 29.1% increase in visitors from 2011, a total of 1.9 million.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow also came high in the table, with over a million visitors, and a 5.8% increase in visitors in 2012.
The most visited English attraction outside London was the Museum of Liverpool, also with over a million visitors, and a massive 53% increase in footfall from the previous year.
Many attractions saw a decline in visitor figures in 2012, which ALVA put down to a combination of the weather and the Olympics. Of 30 attractions that saw a double-digit decline, 27 were gardens or outdoor attractions.
Bernard Donoghue, director of ALVA, commented: “We are delighted with the visitor figures and although the Olympics deterred visitors from Central London, and there was a noticeable decline in visitors to attractions while the Games took place, the recovery was almost immediate after the Games left town.”
The figures do not include museums in Wales (although National Trust properties are included) or Northern Ireland.