New and refurbished museums across the UK are far exceeding visitor forecasts, according to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva).
Visitor figures for Alva’s 174 members for 2011 revealed that institutions such as the National Museum of Scotland (NMS), which reopened in July after a £47m redevelopment, have reaped the benefits of investment.
With 1.5 million visitors in five months, NMS was the most popular museum outside London last year, exceeding its forecast by 500,000.
The National Maritime Museum in London enjoyed a 22% rise in visitor numbers after opening the £35m Sammy Ofer Wing in July. A spokesman for Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG) said the increase had surpassed predicted figures.
The £72m Museum of Liverpool attracted 667,526 people in five months, after opening in July, while the £74m Riverside Museum in Glasgow welcomed more than a million visitors through its doors in its first six months.
Alva director Bernard Donoghue said: “Where local authorities have had the courage to invest in their cultural offering, particularly in this economic climate, we have seen that it has really paid off.”
Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, which resigned from Alva last year after criticising the association as “England-centric”, reported an average 1% rise in footfall across its seven institutions.
However, some institutions saw significant decreases. Footfall at the National Trust’s Penrhyn Castle in Snowdonia dropped by 35%, a decrease attributed by a spokesman to “natural peaks and troughs”. Visitors to National Trust properties in Wales have doubled in the past 10 years, he added.
Donoghue said attractions were being affected by economic factors. “The National Trust for Scotland has observed that some properties in the highlands and islands, away from urban conurbations, have seen a fall, which they believe is largely down to petrol prices,” he said.
Visitor figures at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich fell 44% after it introduced a £10 yearly admission charge in March 2011. A spokesman said the figure was lower than forecasted, but the overall picture was “complicated”.
He added: “The impact of the Olympic test event site, which restricted access to the Royal Observatory, along with the opening of the Sammy Ofer wing, may have contributed to a different pattern of visitor behaviour.”
Visitor figures for Alva’s 174 members for 2011 revealed that institutions such as the National Museum of Scotland (NMS), which reopened in July after a £47m redevelopment, have reaped the benefits of investment.
With 1.5 million visitors in five months, NMS was the most popular museum outside London last year, exceeding its forecast by 500,000.
The National Maritime Museum in London enjoyed a 22% rise in visitor numbers after opening the £35m Sammy Ofer Wing in July. A spokesman for Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG) said the increase had surpassed predicted figures.
The £72m Museum of Liverpool attracted 667,526 people in five months, after opening in July, while the £74m Riverside Museum in Glasgow welcomed more than a million visitors through its doors in its first six months.
Alva director Bernard Donoghue said: “Where local authorities have had the courage to invest in their cultural offering, particularly in this economic climate, we have seen that it has really paid off.”
Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, which resigned from Alva last year after criticising the association as “England-centric”, reported an average 1% rise in footfall across its seven institutions.
However, some institutions saw significant decreases. Footfall at the National Trust’s Penrhyn Castle in Snowdonia dropped by 35%, a decrease attributed by a spokesman to “natural peaks and troughs”. Visitors to National Trust properties in Wales have doubled in the past 10 years, he added.
Donoghue said attractions were being affected by economic factors. “The National Trust for Scotland has observed that some properties in the highlands and islands, away from urban conurbations, have seen a fall, which they believe is largely down to petrol prices,” he said.
Visitor figures at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich fell 44% after it introduced a £10 yearly admission charge in March 2011. A spokesman said the figure was lower than forecasted, but the overall picture was “complicated”.
He added: “The impact of the Olympic test event site, which restricted access to the Royal Observatory, along with the opening of the Sammy Ofer wing, may have contributed to a different pattern of visitor behaviour.”
