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Visitors flock to free attractions

Friday, February 26, 2010

Catherine Deshayes

Never have the free attractions in London been so well attended - the recession has meant that people are increasingly searching for more affordable ways to entertain themselves and their families - and Britain's leading attractions have welcomed more than 10 per cent more visitors since 2008...

Many Brits are opting to give the long-haul foreign holiday a miss this year in favour of staying closer to home and saving the pennies.

So, with staying at home comes the need to find new ways to entertain oneself - hence the increase in visitors to the country's attractions.

The recession-hit tourists flocked to free-entry visitor attractions in 2009 and this year, helping boost attendance by 10.9 per cent.

Free-admission attractions such as the National Gallery (up nine per cent) the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, south east London, (up 15 per cent) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (up 10 per cent) all had successful years in 2009, figures from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva) showed.

Although welcoming 6.1 per cent fewer visitors last year than in 2008, the British Museum, with 5.57 million visits, topped the Alva list, followed by the National Gallery (4.78 million) and the Tate Modern (4.74 million).

One of the biggest increases in visits last year was at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, which welcomed 537,120 people - a 43.6 per cent increase on the 2008 total.

Members of Alva said that they would like to see more incentives put in place to encourage locals to visit attractions and to encourage tourists to visit and stay in Britain.

Members would also like to see a reduction in VAT rates on admission tickets, and enhanced Government funding to enable VisitBritain to promote the UK to potential tourists abroad.

Alva director Robin Broke said, "The tourism industry played a vital role in Britain's economy last year, with leading attractions working hard to maintain visitor figures and revenue in a challenging fiscal environment.

'"As the political parties prepare for the general election, they should consider how best to help the industry maximise the revenue it can generate and the additional jobs it can create," he added.

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Picture of Trafalgar Square, London by WallyG