ASVA Visitor Trend Report, March 2015 Dashboard Summary, March 2015

Usable data was received from 202 sites. The total number of visits recorded in March 2015 Total Visitor Numbers was 1511228; this compares to 1474588 in 2014 and indicates an increase of 2.5%. Excluding Country Parks Month of March 1,511,228 2.5% p ASVA's Commentary and Observations for March 2015 Year-to-Date 3,788,623 2.7% p From the responses received, visitor numbers to ASVA member sites in March 2015 show an increase of 2.5%. Despite the overall increase, 55% of respondents noted a decrease. This may in part have been mitigated by meaningful increases at some larger sites including: Castle, Glenmore Visitor Centre (FCS), Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, New Including Country Parks Lanark World Heritage Site & Visitor Centre, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, St Giles Cathedral, The Falkirk Wheel and Month of March 2,329,803 0.4% p the three National Galleries of Scotland sites. Per Region Conversely, there were also some larger sites showing a decrease including: Edinburgh Zoo, National Museum of Scotland, This report was Robert Burns Birthplace Museum and the Scottish Parliament. Heavier than average precipitation in the west may have Northern Scotland 80,278 7.7% p contributed to the downturn to a number of country parks (see next paragraph for more on weather). produced for ASVA by Eastern Scotland 832,023 2.8% p

Southern Scotland 48,678 -6.7% q Of the 11 categories, 5 noted a decrease whilst 6 showed an increase (see dashboard summary). Western Scotland 1,368,824 -1.2% q

Weatherwise, March 2015 on the whole saw conditions that were largely close to the long term average in terms of temperature and sunshine amounts. However, rainfall was disproportionately heavier in the west as the following Per Attraction Category example illustrates: Cluanie Inn registered 470mm of rainfall in March (over 450% above average) whilst Kinloss saw just 23mm in the same period. Heritage/historic

property/stately 285,009 4.4% p house Museums & Galleries 720,831 1.9% p Zoo/wildlife/safari 71,426 -12.5% q park/aquarium Sports & activities 10,816 -10.6% q Forest park/regional 818,575 -3.3% q park/country park Gardens 80,434 21.5% p Science Centre 52,208 8.6% p Distillery/whisky 36,366 -13.6% q related Visitor Centre 148,494 3.2% p Boat Trip/Marine 50,414 19.3% p Spend per Other 55,230 -4.6% q Ticket SPV1 Retail SPV Catering SPV ticket sold2

5.12 (71) 8.24 (33) 1.14 (59) 1.22 (8) 2.9% p 4.9% p -15.6% q -14.5% q

For further information, contact ASVA at: Confidential information for ASVA members only e-mail: [email protected] Please do not further distribute this report without permission from ASVA Tel: 0141 229 0923 Any commentary to press will be managed by ASVA 2

Year-on-Year

Visitor Numbers Visitor Numbers

2.5% p

Month

3,840,140

1,511,228

1,474,588

3,225,933

Latest

2,338,837

2,406,283

2,220,719

2,052,959

2,018,242

1,511,228

1,363,347

1,304,108

1,131,847 973,287

Apr 14 May 14 Jun 14 Jul 14 Aug 14 Sep 14 Oct 14 Nov 14 Dec 14 Jan 15 Feb 15 Mar 15 Mar 15 Mar 14

Additional Comments Ticket SPV Retail SPV Catering SPV Ticket Spend Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway Our season started a week earlier than usual as we worked with The Hippodrome Silent Movie Festival which took 2.9% p

place towards the end of March. We worked on a joint venture with them this year and had a ‘pop up cinema’ event

on the platform which included a pot of Ash Rabbit Stew and a hot drink. Retail Spend £5.12 It sold out immediately and was a great success, see our website News page for the details £4.98 -15.6% q

Chatelherault Country Park Strong winds and rain throughout some parts of March. Catering Spend

-14.5% q

Edinburgh Bus Tours Poor four weeks due to departure point move to Market street, visbility of buses poor.

£1.42

£1.35 £1.22 Visitor Centre The Prestonpans Tapestry exhibition ran until 19th March, attracting over 1200 visitors during the month. £1.14 On 21-22 March we hosted our annual Stargazing LIVE event which is always very popular. Our Woven through History exhibition which is part of the New Lanark Visitor Centre ran until 22 March and then our new 'Homecoming' exhibition opened on 30 March. In March New Lanark was also named Mar 15 Mar 14 within ASVA's top 20 Visitor Attractions in 2014, gaining local and national coverage.

Scottish Crannog Centre We were closed in March but took a private booking at the end of the month.

The Centre opened for the 2015 season on 01 April. Spend per

The Scotch Whisky Experience Function rooms closed for refurbishment. £8.24 ticket sold £7.86 4.9% p

______1 Ticket spend per visitor (Ticket SPV) divides the total ticket revenue by the number of visitors from ticket-revenue submitting sites. Mar 15 Mar 14 2 Spend per ticket sold divides the total ticket revenue by the number of tickets sold. 3

Site-specific report March 2015

u Responses for March 2015 were received from 202 sites. u 18 sites requested confidentiality, and although their numbers have been included in the calculations, they do not appear in the tables below. u 27 sites have not submitted results this month last year and thus do not appear in the tables below.

March March 2015 2014 Y-o-Y 2015 2014 Y-o-Y Aberdour Castle 598 950 -37% Doune Castle 2719 1086 150% Aberlour Distillery 398 378 5% Drum Castle, Garden & Estate 134 190 -29% Almond Valley Heritage Trust 6876 8398 -18% Drumpellier Country Park 74188 92530 -20% Arbroath Abbey 747 550 36% Dryburgh Abbey 559 649 -14% Arduaine Garden 140 252 -44% Dumbarton Castle 777 803 -3% Argyll's Lodgings 2000 2899 -31% & Camera Obscura 1124 531 112% Auchindrain 45 24 88% Dunblane Cathedral 1071 1611 -34% Bannockburn 3231 5878 -45% Dundee Science Centre 6090 4414 38% Benmore Botanic Garden 4210 4707 -11% Dunfermline Palace 271 566 -52% Black House 113 141 -20% Dunstaffnage Castle 362 353 3% Blackness Castle 1007 553 82% Edinburgh Butterfly & Insect World 6455 8001 -19% Blair Athol Distillery Visitor Centre 363 4374 -92% 77457 73078 6% Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway 1570 1002 57% Edinburgh Zoo 34976 43418 -19% Castle 114 716 -84% Elgin Cathedral 305 321 -5% Brodie Castle 262 56 368% Falkland Palace & Garden 1882 1985 -5% Museum 2174 2056 6% FC Scotland - Clatteringshaws Visitor Centre 2058 1825 13% Caerlaverock Castle 1176 1442 -18% FC Scotland - Glenmore Visitor Centre 5487 1606 242% Calderglen Country Park 79926 83256 -4% FC Scotland - Glentrool Visitor Centre 1166 2244 -48% Callendar House 1365 2152 -37% Fort George 1347 1598 -16% Camperdown Wildlife Centre 4721 5882 -20% Fyvie Castle 92 145 -37% Caol Ila Distillery Visitor Centre 314 792 -60% Gallery of Modern Art 46023 44191 4% Castle Campbell 383 613 -38% Georgian House 2342 2149 9% 3570 2523 41% Cathedral 5336 3591 49% Clyde Muirshiel - Castle Semple Country Park 30016 27207 10% Glasgow Museums Resource Centre 1480 1661 -11% Clyde Muirshiel - Greenock Cut Visitor Centre 5730 5087 13% Glasgow Science Centre 27124 27445 -1% Clyde Muirshiel - Lunderston Bay 15808 15930 -1% Glen Dronach Distillery 300 234 28% Clyde Muirshiel – Muirshiel Country Park 2629 3050 -14% Glencoe 554 783 -29% and Art Gallery 3415 3688 -7% Glenfinnan Monument 49 36 36% Clynelish Distillery Visitor Centre 181 259 -30% Glenlivet Distillery 657 747 -12% Craigmillar Castle 1159 1445 -20% Greenbank Garden 561 1822 -69% Crathes Castle, Garden & Estate 1192 591 102% Huntingtower Castle 350 484 -28% Culloden Battlefield visitor centre 2548 3085 -17% Huntly Castle 373 377 -1% Culzean Country Park 4285 5087 -16% 2384 2783 -14% Dallas Dhu Distillery 109 140 -22% Inveresk Lodge Garden 70 69 1% Dalwhinnie Distillery Visitor Centre 1237 1397 -11% Iona Abbey 637 659 -3% 2114 686 208% Jedburgh Abbey 690 727 -5% Dawyck Botanic Garden 2512 2869 -12% Johnstons of Elgin 12214 12349 -1% Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery 1855 145 1179% Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum 90852 83149 9% Dirleton Castle 1267 1359 -7% Lagavulin Distillery Visitor Centre 404 1481 -73% Discovery Point 3168 3264 -3% 5280 4432 19% 4

March March 2015 2014 Y-o-Y 2015 2014 Y-o-Y Linlithgow Palace 2569 3188 -19% Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art 32474 21986 48% Logan Botanic Garden 647 812 -20% Scottish National Portrait Gallery 26805 22007 22% Low Parks Museum 1923 2196 -12% Scottish Seabird Centre 15296 17172 -11% Macduff Marine Aquarium 3410 3058 12% Skara Brae 1220 886 38% Malleny Garden 57 273 -79% Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum 4747 4145 15% Mclean Museum & Art Gallery 2916 3046 -4% St Andrews Castle 3092 2417 28% Mcmanus Galleries 13250 12698 4% St Andrews Cathedral 1403 1493 -6% Melrose Abbey 1199 1170 2% St Giles' Cathedral 62737 55529 13% Mugdock Country Park 47153 44526 6% Stirling Castle 22368 20794 8% Museum of Childhood 11097 12605 -12% Strathclyde Country Park 466693 463790 1% 6294 5611 12% Strathisla Distillery 334 575 -42% National Mining Museum Scotland 5015 6924 -28% Summerlee Museum 10540 8018 31% National Museum of Flight 2370 2954 -20% Sweetheart Abbey 145 180 -19% National Museum of Rural Life 6720 6875 -2% Tantallon Castle 2052 1915 7% National Museum of Scotland 116180 133503 -13% Tenement House 960 1034 -7% 35018 35590 -2% The 12789 14560 -12% The Nelson Monument 641 1088 -41% The Falkirk Wheel 30258 21705 39% Nevis Range 10262 11319 -9% The Famous Grouse Experience 4292 5171 -17% New Abbey Corn Mill 105 41 156% The Glasgow School of Art 583 1500 -61% New Lanark Visitor Centre 6426 4883 32% The lighthouse 21169 20498 3% New Lanark World Heritage Site 23960 20290 18% The People's Palace Museum 32702 30196 8% Oban Distillery Visitor Centre 1449 2637 -45% The Real Mary King's Close 13240 13542 -2% Our Dynamic Earth 18994 16236 17% The Royal Yacht Britannia 16250 15173 7% Palacerigg Country Park 43151 48976 -12% The Scotch Whisky Experience 22044 21347 3% The People's Story 4312 4124 5% The Scottish Parliament 25354 32537 -22% Pitmedden Garden 90 102 -12% The St Mungo Museum of Religious Life And Art 8435 7212 17% Pollok House 3912 3207 22% The Willow Tea Rooms 11247 10852 4% Provand's Lordship 4933 4363 13% Threave Estate 2134 2461 -13% Queensferry Museum 551 328 68% Tomatin Distillery Visitor Centre 1197 658 82% 79675 81782 -3% Tormiston Mill 376 361 4% Robert Burns Birthplace Museum 14512 25877 -44% Trinity House 83 15 453% Robert Burns Centre 1006 2195 -54% Tullibardine 774 1222 -37% Robert Burns House 534 464 15% Urquhart Castle 8916 8467 5% Rosslyn Chapel 6733 7070 -5% 666 839 -21% Rothesay Castle 316 287 10% Writers Museum 3461 3233 7% Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 72147 55274 31% Scotland Street School Museum 5731 5228 10% ScotlandsPeople Centre 1556 1545 1% The 2864 2548 12% Scottish Dolphin Centre 2109 2301 -8% Scottish Fisheries Museum 7113 6050 18% Scottish National Gallery 75939 60945 25%