Date :
27/03/2014
The Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA) Visitor Trend Report, with figures submitted by almost 250 of the organisation’s member sites, has confirmed a rise of over 225,000 visits (0.6%) compared to 2012 figures, with over 32 million visits made to visitor attractions across Scotland in 2013.
Heritage properties, sports and outdoor activity venues and distilleries fared particularly well. Whisky tourism continues to attract visitors to Scotland, with the majority of whisky-based attractions reporting a rise in numbers. The Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh experienced its highest ever visitor numbers, with an 11.5% increase on the previous year.
For the third year, the National Museum of Scotland was the most visited attraction with 1,768,090 visits recorded. Edinburgh Castle was the highest paid entry attraction with 1,420,027 visits.
Edinburgh continued to dominate the marketplace, with 11 of the top 20 attractions located in the city, however sites in the North and South of Scotland recorded the biggest increases in numbers, with visits up by over 7% in both regions.
Special exhibitions and events have successfully driven business at a number of attractions. The National Museum of Scotland has invested in a comprehensive exhibitions and events programme to keep visitors coming back, with exhibitions such as ‘Vikings!’ and ‘Mary, Queen of Scots’ helping to generate over five million visitors to the site since it re-opened in 2011.
The Jack Vettriano retrospective at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, was the attraction’s most successful ever special exhibition, attracting more than 123,000 visitors in its twenty-three week run.
The ‘Brick City’ exhibition at Paisley Museum, a display of the world’s most iconic buildings and landmarks by LEGO artist Warren Elsmore, was so successful that it was extended by 2 weeks to meet demand, helping to boost visitor figures by almost 70% for the year.
Two Jousting Weekends at Linlithgow Palace, which were backed by an award-winning marketing campaign, boosted numbers by almost 20%, while at Iona Abbey, which celebrated the 1450 year anniversary of St Columba establishing the ancient holy site, visitor figures increased by 6%.
Inveraray Castle and Jail collectively saw a rise of 13%, attributed in part to the ‘Downton Abbey’ effect, with the Castle featuring as ‘Duneagle’ in the popular drama series. The good weather in 2013 also appears to have boosted seaside destinations such as St Andrews, where the town’s four major attractions recorded a rise of 9%.
The Scottish Highlands also benefited, with visitor numbers to Glencoe, film location for some of the most dramatic scenes in the Bond movie ‘Skyfall’, up by over 37%. The early season low temperatures, combined with snow at altitude, also boosted the ski areas at CairnGorm Mountain and Nevis Range, which experienced increases of 9.5% and 8% respectively.
To read more about ASVA visit www.asva.co.uk