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Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions publishes 2014 Annual Visitor Trend Report

A record number of visits were made to Scotland’s visitor attractions in 2014. Newly published research shows an increase of 6.1% on 2013.

The announcement comes as the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA) issues the findings of its 2014 Annual Visitor Trend Report.

Analysis of statistics submitted by over 250 of the organisation’s member sites confirms that 27,141,519 visits were made to visitor attractions across Scotland in 2014, a rise of 6.1% on 2013 figures.

The number of Scottish sites attracting over 1 million visits doubled to six in 2014, compared with three in 2013.

For the fourth year, the National Museum of Scotland was the most visited attraction with 1,639,509 visits recorded (free entry). Edinburgh Castle was once again the most visited paid for attraction with 1,480,676 visits.

Sectors which fared particularly well include museums & galleries, gardens and boat trip/ marine.

Visits to the Top 20 sites rose by 9%, with these sites accounting for 54% of all visits to Scottish attractions. Edinburgh continues to dominate the marketplace, with 10 of the top 20 attractions located in the city.

Welcoming the figures, Fergus Ewing, Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism said:

“Scotland is a first class destination for Visitor Attractions, with over 27 million people visiting attractions throughout Scotland and building on the successes of Homecoming 2014, the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup.

“I’m especially pleased to see for the first time, Scotland now has 6 attractions visited by over 1 million visitors which is a fantastic achievement.

“2015 is the Year of Food and Drink and I am confident we will continue to build on the momentum created in 2014 and on the long term benefits these events bring, building a strong, high quality experience that visitors will remember and keep them returning to Scotland for many years to come.”

Glasgow sites also fared well, recording an overall increase in visitor numbers of 492,249 (14%). Anecdotal evidence from visitor attractions in the city suggests that the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games contributed significantly to the rise. During July and August, which coincided with the Games, visitor numbers to Glasgow sites increased by 283,392 (34%). It is likely that this increase in visitors to the city impacted positively on other attractions across Scotland and contributed to the overall national increase.

Commenting on the rise in visits to Glasgow attractions, Councillor Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said:

“Glasgow is a world-class city, with a world-class cultural offering. The city has a wealth of stunning architecture and ‘must see’ attractions to suit all tastes. I am delighted that five hugely popular Glasgow attractions featured in the ASVA 2014 Annual Visitor Trend Report Top 20 including, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow Science Centre, the Gallery of Modern Art, People’s Palace and Winter Gardens and Riverside Museum.

“Last Summer Glasgow delivered the best ever Commonwealth Games and the city came alive during the Games as hundreds of thousands of UK and overseas visitors travelled to the city which helped contribute to the increase in visitor numbers over July and August.”

Major new attractions in Falkirk, including The Kelpies Tour, which generated over 43,000 visitors in 2014, and Helix Park, which up until September 2014 attracted 680,000 visitors, appear to have benefited tourism to the town and provided a spin-off for existing attractions such as the Falkirk Wheel, which saw visitor numbers increase by 26%.

David O’Neill, Chair of ASVA said: “It is clear that 2014 was a bumper year for the visitor attractions sector in Scotland as we reaped the benefits from Homecoming 2014 and major events including The Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup. The challenge is to build on this momentum as we move forward into 2015 and beyond”.

Media enquiries to Eva McDiarmid, Chief Executive, ASVA, Tel. 0141 229 0923, Mobile 07715 991718, E: eva@asva.co.uk

About ASVA

ASVA has over 480 member visitor attractions.

Visitor attractions in ASVA membership generate almost 5,000 Full Time Equivalent jobs for the Scottish economy.

For more on ASVA members: www.asva.co.uk

About the Visitor Trend Report 2014

The report was co-ordinated and collated by LJ Research of Edinburgh.