Terrorism fears, a fall in the number of leisure visitors to the UK and fewer blockbuster temporary exhibitions over this summer have been cited as the key contributory factors to a dip in attendances at England’s national museums and galleries from April to September this year.
Monthly visitor figures released by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport show that the total number of visitors to England’s national museums and galleries from April to September 2016 was 24.8 million, compared with more than 26 million in the same period in 2015.
Venues in central London including the National Portrait Gallery, Natural History Museum, Science Museum and the British Museum posted a drop in visitor numbers over the six-month period.
A spokeswoman from the Science Museum Group, whose South Kensington museum reported a 6.6% fall in visitor numbers over the six-month period to 1.6 million, compared with 2015, says: “There has been a small dip in visitor numbers but it is too early to be more precise about why.
“We do have a much stronger programme for autumn/winter, which tends to be the case across the sector. Wonderlab [the new interactive gallery] opened in October, the Mathematics gallery opens on 8 December and the Robots exhibition will open in February.”
The Natural History Museum welcomed 2.3 million visitors between April and September – a year-on-year fall of 19%.
The museum says there has been a “lighter” public programme this year because of the planned redevelopment of Hintze Hall in 2017.
Figures at the British Museum fell from more than 3.8 million from April to September 2015 to less than 3.5 million this year.
Security concerns
Bernard Donoghue, the director of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva), says the fall is caused by a “confluence” of issues, rather than being symptomatic of any deeper problems across the sector.
Reflecting the heightened security concerns following terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels in the past couple
of years, Alva has set up a security forum that brings together the heads of security at its members. It met for the first time in October and will reconvene every six months.
Donoghue says the forum has not been created in response to these figures but because of “the new security environment”.
He adds that a 4% fall in the number of leisure visitors to the UK, who are most likely to visit museums and galleries, has also taken its toll, as well as capital investment at many venues, which has led to some closures and fewer major temporary exhibitions.
“Autumn is a bigger time for temporary exhibitions,” says Donoghue. “Anecdotally, we know a lot of our members saw a good boost during the half-term week.”
Donoghue says visitor attractions that have invested in their child and family proposition, and their all-weather facilities, have also reported a rise in attendances. He points to Hampton Court Palace, which launched its Magic Garden, an immersive play facility that aims to engage children in history while entertaining them, last Easter.
While the National Gallery and Tate Modern posted rises on last year, some museums outside of central London, including the Geffrye Museum also welcomed more visitors from April to September. The Geffrye saw visitor numbers increase from 8,000 to nearly 60,000.
National Museums Liverpool attracted nearly 1.8 million visitors from April to September this year compared with 1.6 million the year before.
Tate Liverpool saw visitors figures increase slightly, from 356,000 in April to September 2015 to 362,000 in the same period this year.
Monthly visitor figures released by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport show that the total number of visitors to England’s national museums and galleries from April to September 2016 was 24.8 million, compared with more than 26 million in the same period in 2015.
Venues in central London including the National Portrait Gallery, Natural History Museum, Science Museum and the British Museum posted a drop in visitor numbers over the six-month period.
A spokeswoman from the Science Museum Group, whose South Kensington museum reported a 6.6% fall in visitor numbers over the six-month period to 1.6 million, compared with 2015, says: “There has been a small dip in visitor numbers but it is too early to be more precise about why.
“We do have a much stronger programme for autumn/winter, which tends to be the case across the sector. Wonderlab [the new interactive gallery] opened in October, the Mathematics gallery opens on 8 December and the Robots exhibition will open in February.”
The Natural History Museum welcomed 2.3 million visitors between April and September – a year-on-year fall of 19%.
The museum says there has been a “lighter” public programme this year because of the planned redevelopment of Hintze Hall in 2017.
Figures at the British Museum fell from more than 3.8 million from April to September 2015 to less than 3.5 million this year.
Security concerns
Bernard Donoghue, the director of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva), says the fall is caused by a “confluence” of issues, rather than being symptomatic of any deeper problems across the sector.
Reflecting the heightened security concerns following terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels in the past couple
of years, Alva has set up a security forum that brings together the heads of security at its members. It met for the first time in October and will reconvene every six months.
Donoghue says the forum has not been created in response to these figures but because of “the new security environment”.
He adds that a 4% fall in the number of leisure visitors to the UK, who are most likely to visit museums and galleries, has also taken its toll, as well as capital investment at many venues, which has led to some closures and fewer major temporary exhibitions.
“Autumn is a bigger time for temporary exhibitions,” says Donoghue. “Anecdotally, we know a lot of our members saw a good boost during the half-term week.”
Donoghue says visitor attractions that have invested in their child and family proposition, and their all-weather facilities, have also reported a rise in attendances. He points to Hampton Court Palace, which launched its Magic Garden, an immersive play facility that aims to engage children in history while entertaining them, last Easter.
While the National Gallery and Tate Modern posted rises on last year, some museums outside of central London, including the Geffrye Museum also welcomed more visitors from April to September. The Geffrye saw visitor numbers increase from 8,000 to nearly 60,000.
National Museums Liverpool attracted nearly 1.8 million visitors from April to September this year compared with 1.6 million the year before.
Tate Liverpool saw visitors figures increase slightly, from 356,000 in April to September 2015 to 362,000 in the same period this year.