Museums and art galleries enjoyed a 3% rise in visitors in 2009, and accounted for nine of England’s top 10 free attractions.
VisitEngland’s annual survey found visits were up in almost all regions, with the strongest growth recorded in the south-east (up 10%) and East Midlands (up 9%).
Culture and heritage also remained a key motivation for many international visits to Britain, with other research from VisitBritain showing Britain’s major museums and galleries generated £1bn in revenue from overseas tourists last year. VisitBritain predicts that tourism will grow by more than 60% by 2020.
However, with most tourists visiting London, there are concerns that museums in the regions are not benefiting from international tourism.
Mike Woodward, commercial director at York Museum, said: “Across the country, there are traps of land and cities that don’t feature on tourist itineraries.”
Elsewhere, regions such as Cornwall have reported a rise in domestic holidaymakers, although this might be a short-term trend.
Jonathan Griffin, director of the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, said: “If unemployment rises, as is expected on the back of government spending cuts, people will cut back on holidays.”
Cultural tourism could be one answer. Manchester Museums Consortium runs a collaborative exhibition and marketing programme to position the city as a cultural destination.
A spokeswoman for the Manchester consortium said: “Cultural tourists are willing to travel to different cities, but it’s about getting on their radar.”
British Museum
2008 5.93
2009 5.57
National Gallery
2008 4.38
2009 4.78
Tate Modern
2008 4.86
2009 4.75
Natural History Museum
2008 3.74
2009 4.11
Science Museum
2008 2.71
2009 2.79
Victoria and Albert Museum
2008 2.07
2009 2.27
National Portrait Gallery
2008 1.84
2009 1.96
Tate Britain
2008 1.62
2009 1.50
British Library
2008 1.26
2009 1.38
Thetford Forest Park
2008 1.00
2009 1.20
