Visitor numbers continue to flourish for second year
Museums across the UK have enjoyed a surge in visitor figures for the second year running, according to new Association …
Museums across the UK have enjoyed a surge in visitor figures for the second year running, according to new Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva) figures.
The figures, supplied by a wide range of museums and public attractions at the end of 2004, showed healthy visitor numbers almost across the board.
The news will be welcomed by museums anxious to maintain the momentum of 2002 and 2003, which saw a resurgence of public interest in cultural attractions following the government's decision to scrap entrance fees for many UK museums at the end of 2001.
According to Alva figures, the National Gallery was the most visited museum last year, with a footfall of more than 5 million people. The 14 per cent rise shows that the gallery has managed to recover from a low of 4.1 million visitors in 2002.
Charles Saumarez Smith, the director of the National Gallery, attributed the rise to a combination of factors, namely the recovery of European cultural tourism after the September 11 attacks. 'About 50 per cent of visitors are tourists, so after September 11, when international tourism declined, our figures did the same,' he said.
Saumarez Smith also said that the pedestrianisation of Trafalgar Square and the gallery's new street-level entrance played a part in helping to boost attendance figures.
The National Portrait Gallery also had a good 2004, with a significant 15 per cent rise in visitor figures. Its director, Sandy Nairne, believes the rise reflects the success of the gallery's overhaul of its visual identity.
'We worked really hard on improving the gallery's public profile last year and subsequently did very well last summer,' he said. 'A number of our flagship exhibitions, such as Cecil Beaton, exceeded our expectations.'
He added that mus-eums in London were now producing an array of top-class exhibitions and visitor facilities, 'that will hopefully help maintain the current levels of interest'.
Museums outside of London also flourished, with the Discovery Museum in Tyne & Wear showing a staggering 119 per cent increase in visitors, after the museum relaunched at the beginning of 2004.
'The 11 museums across Tyne & Wear have all seen increases, which is largely due to Renaissance funding,' said Alec Coles, the director of Tyne and Wear museums.
Museums that registered a fall in visitors included the V&A in London, which saw an 11 per cent decline in 2004. The Science Museum, hit by staff strikes, also had a bad 2004, with a 25 per cent decline in visitors.
The figures, supplied by a wide range of museums and public attractions at the end of 2004, showed healthy visitor numbers almost across the board.
The news will be welcomed by museums anxious to maintain the momentum of 2002 and 2003, which saw a resurgence of public interest in cultural attractions following the government's decision to scrap entrance fees for many UK museums at the end of 2001.
According to Alva figures, the National Gallery was the most visited museum last year, with a footfall of more than 5 million people. The 14 per cent rise shows that the gallery has managed to recover from a low of 4.1 million visitors in 2002.
Charles Saumarez Smith, the director of the National Gallery, attributed the rise to a combination of factors, namely the recovery of European cultural tourism after the September 11 attacks. 'About 50 per cent of visitors are tourists, so after September 11, when international tourism declined, our figures did the same,' he said.
Saumarez Smith also said that the pedestrianisation of Trafalgar Square and the gallery's new street-level entrance played a part in helping to boost attendance figures.
The National Portrait Gallery also had a good 2004, with a significant 15 per cent rise in visitor figures. Its director, Sandy Nairne, believes the rise reflects the success of the gallery's overhaul of its visual identity.
'We worked really hard on improving the gallery's public profile last year and subsequently did very well last summer,' he said. 'A number of our flagship exhibitions, such as Cecil Beaton, exceeded our expectations.'
He added that mus-eums in London were now producing an array of top-class exhibitions and visitor facilities, 'that will hopefully help maintain the current levels of interest'.
Museums outside of London also flourished, with the Discovery Museum in Tyne & Wear showing a staggering 119 per cent increase in visitors, after the museum relaunched at the beginning of 2004.
'The 11 museums across Tyne & Wear have all seen increases, which is largely due to Renaissance funding,' said Alec Coles, the director of Tyne and Wear museums.
Museums that registered a fall in visitors included the V&A in London, which saw an 11 per cent decline in 2004. The Science Museum, hit by staff strikes, also had a bad 2004, with a 25 per cent decline in visitors.