ASVA VISITOR TREND REPORT - MARCH & APRIL 2010/2011

OVERVIEW

Visitor numbers for March & April 2010/2011 were received from 230 sites. 10 sites requested confidentiality, and although their numbers have been included in the calculations, they do not appear in the tables below. Because Easter fell in March in 2010 and in April 2011, both months have been calculated together to make a more meaningful comparison. In some instances, comparable figures have only been provided for one month for both years, and these have been included as they provide like for like data.

From the usable data from 230 sites, the total number of visits recorded in March and April 2011 was 3,087,389 this compares with 2,973,851 in 2010 and indicates an increase of 3.8% for both months. Weatherwise, the period started with more wintry conditions especially over higher ground but the latter part of the month turned more springlike. This continued through into April which was the warmest on record since 1910 with the average UK temperature 3.7C above normal. It was also the sunniest April since 1929. These generally favourable conditions helped boost numbers at most sites as can be seen in the tables below. And it does also seem that having two Bank Holiday weekends consecutively (with good weather) also gave a lift to visitor numbers. http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/hi/uk_reviews/default.stm

2010 2011 % change SE AREA (179) 2,725,877 2,817,884 3.4% HIE AREA (51) 247,974 269,505 8.7% TOTAL (230) 2,973,851 3,087,389 3.8% Table 1 – Scotland 2010/2011

SE AREA

In 2011 there were 2,817,884 visits recorded, compared to 2,725,877 during the same period in 2010, indicating an increase of 3.4%. In the SE area, just 35% of respondents reported a decrease, but these did include some larger sites such as Kelvingrove (-20%), McManus Galleries (49%), and Science Centre (-51%). A number of larger sites also reported meaningful increases including – Camera Obscura (48%), Castle (11%), Edinburgh Zoo (12%), Falkirk Wheel (22%), Gallery of Modern Art (19%), Mugdock Country Park (17%), Robert Burns Birthplace Museum (169%), Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (19%), Scotch Whisky Experience (25%), Scotland Street School Museum (76%) and (22%).

Site name March/April2010 March/April 2011 % change Aberdour Castle 1834 2735 49.1% Tower 1353 625 -53.8% Almond Valley Heritage Centre 22730 29057 27.8% 221 245 10.9% Arbroath Abbey 1484 1719 15.8% Bachelors' Club 138 29 -79.0% Balvenie Castle 340 753 121.5% Bannockburn 9986 8071 -19.2% Barrie's Birthplace 422 531 25.8% 690 184 -73.3% Blackness Castle 2270 2936 29.3% Blair Athol Distillery 1341 1979 47.6% Blair Castle 12072 11382 -5.7% Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway 1434 706 -50.8% Castle 1546 1712 10.7% Branklyn Garden 838 1101 31.4% British Golf Museum 4717 6461 37.0% Brodick Castle 1669 2892 73.3% Brodick Country Park 3964 5276 33.1% Brodie Castle 2714 2464 -9.2% Broughton House 1297 1028 -20.7% 6653 7474 12.3% 33445 36491 9.1% Caerlaverock Castle 4326 5164 19.4% Cairnpapple Hill 333 531 59.5% Callendar House 4683 6795 45.1% Camera Obscura & World of Illusions 48.1% Cardoness Castle 647 687 6.2% Castle Campbell 2492 3039 22.0% Castle Fraser 1147 1652 44.0% Castle Semple Centre 17285 17005 -1.6% Chatelherault 133830 129133 -3.5% 11500 13558 17.9% Clatteringshaws Visitor Centre 6341 2449 -61.4% Corgarff Castle 252 465 84.5% Craigievar Castle 289

Craigmillar Castle 2698 3625 34.4% Craignethan Castle 988 1069 8.2% Crathes Castle 3121 4149 32.9% Crichton Castle 347 526 51.6% Crossraguel Abbey 322 439 36.3% Culross 1503 1709 13.7% Culzean Castle 7848 8330 6.1% Culzean Country Park 25549 25780 0.9% 4064 3288 -19.1% Dawyck Gardens 5796 6431 11.0% Dewars World of Whisky 0.4% Dirleton Castle 3413 4617 35.3% Doune Castle 4525 4320 -4.5% Drum Castle 408 1260 208.8% Dryburgh Abbey 2354 2527 7.3% Dumbarton Castle 2200 2373 7.9% Dumfries Mus.& Camera Obscura 2478 2106 -15.0% Dunblane Cathedral 2177 2370 8.9% Dundee Science Centre 9318 10033 7.7% Dundrennan Abbey 382 463 21.2% Dunfermline Palace 1130 1405 24.3% Edinburgh Butterfly World 14149 14671 3.7% Edinburgh Castle 162440 179887 10.7% Edinburgh Mus Collections Cent. 63 117 85.7% Edinburgh Zoo 105631 117848 11.6% Edzell Castle 749 923 23.2% Elcho Castle 865 890 2.9% Falkirk Wheel 58505 71283 21.8% Falkland Palace 6093 6474 6.3% Fyvie Castle 1399 1604 14.7% Gallery of Modern Art 86378 102836 19.1% Georgian House 6182 5456 -11.7% Gladstone's Land 4301 4088 -5.0% Glasgow Cathedral 21605 21609 0.0% Glasgow Museums' Resource Centre 1933 2353 21.7% Glasgow School of Art 3669 3809 3.8% Glasgow Science Centre 79506 38816 -51.2% Glenkinchie Distillery 2002 2621 30.9% Glenluce Abbey 242 215 -11.2% Glentrool Visitor Centre 7974 6628 -16.9% Grampian Transport Museum 2149 2843 32.3% Greenbank Garden 6390 5768 -9.7% Greenock Cut Centre 2001 1785 -10.8% Haddo House 231 102 -55.8% Hamilton Mausoleum 126 156 23.8% Hermitage Castle 613 721 17.6% Hill of Tarvit 1075 1101 2.4% Holmwood House 867 479 -44.8% House of Dun 788 684 -13.2% Huntingtower Castle 1496 1359 -9.2% Huntly Castle 942 1621 72.1% Inchcolm Abbey 973 2668 174.2% Inchmahome Priory 2040 2785 36.5% Inveresk 246 283 15.0% Jedburgh Abbey 1870 1949 4.2% Kellie Castle 1590 1549 -2.6% Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum 203320 162237 -20.2% Kildrummy Castle 354 622 75.7% Killiecrankie 2830 3122 10.3% Kinneil Museum 1138 1171 2.9% Kirriemuir Camera Obscura 77 85 10.4% Kirroughtree Visitor Centre 13887 12037 -13.3% Lauriston Castle 10251 9829 -4.1% Linlithgow Palace 5892 8014 36.0% Loch Leven 2238 3912 74.8% Lochnagar Distillery 839 1283 52.9% Logan Botanic Garden 2589 3242 25.2% Low Parks Museum 4802 4948 3.0% Macduff Marine Aquarium 5985 7824 30.7% Maclellans Castle 625 689 10.2% Malleny 425 85 -80.0% McManus Galleries 55349 27945 -49.5% Meigle Museum 252 326 29.4% Melrose Abbey 4288 5494 28.1% 2022 2232 10.4% Moirlannich 18 63 250.0% Mugdock Country Park 98666 115430 17.0% Muirshiel Centre 1775 2094 18.0% Museum of Childhood 37215 35038 -5.8% 8630 7601 -11.9% National Galleries Scotland 174268 179530 3.0% National Mining Museum Scotland 7426 5743 -22.7% National Museum of Costume 2604 2188 -16.0% National Museum of Flight 9831 9705 -1.3% National Museum of Rural Life 13971 14329 2.6% National Museum of Scotland 99989 94440 -5.5% 70139 82607 17.8% Nelson Monument 1923 2919 51.8% New Abbey Corn Mill 482 559 16.0% Village 11119 11060 -0.5% Newark Castle 434 416 -4.1% Newhailes 361 267 -26.0% Park Gallery 627 6770 979.7% People's Palace 44336 47810 7.8% People's Story 10065 9629 -4.3% Pollok House 20103 18541 -7.8% Priorwood 588 701 19.2% Provand's Lordship 13907 11729 -15.7% Queensferry Museum 1791 796 -55.6% Real Mary Kings Close 29967 26231 -12.5% Robert Burns Birthplace Museum 25669 68945 168.6% Robert Burns Centre 4291 5592 30.3% Robert Burns House 1441 1575 9.3% Robert Smail's Print Works 385 318 -17.4% Rosslyn Chapel 4837 6392 32.1% Rothesay Castle 1024 977 -4.6% Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 133699 158833 18.8% Scotch Whisky Experience 35591 44332 24.6% Scotland Street School Museum 9229 16277 76.4% Scotland's Secret Bunker 6191 6025 -2.7% Scott Monument 8326 9778 17.4% Scottish Fisheries Museum 13036 15153 16.2% Scottish Seabird Centre 47115 49966 6.1% Seton Collegiate Church 124 567 357.3% Smailholm Tower 742 690 -7.0% Souter Johnnie's 278 216 -22.3% Spynie Palace 565 651 15.2% St Andrews Castle 6765 7120 5.2% St Andrews Cathedral 3845 4687 21.9% St Giles Cathedral 99321 97963 -1.4% St Mungo Museum 23710 17929 -24.4% St Serfs 294 486 65.3% St Vigeans 166 49 -70.5% Stanley Mills 2481 2439 -1.7% Stirling Castle 38691 47168 21.9% Sweetheart Abbey 1043 1118 7.2% Tantallon Castle 3770 4575 21.4% Tenement House 3021 2730 -9.6% Threave Castle 1213 1964 61.9% Threave Garden 8222 8684 5.6% Tolquhon Castle 724 968 33.7% Travelling Gallery 4795 4401 -8.2% Weaver's Cottage 176 214 21.6% Willow Tea Rooms 21124 19831 -6.1% Writers' Museum 7650 6819 -10.9% TOTAL SE AREA 2725877 2817884 3.4% Table 2 – SE area March.April 2010.11

HIE AREA

2011 saw 269,505 visits in March & April compared to 247,974 in the same period in 2010, an increase of 8.7%. Just 25% of respondents in the HIE area noted a decrease and here too some larger sites had significantly increased footfall including – Jacobite Cruises (27%), Nevis Range (24%) and Urquhart Castle (33%).

Site name March/April 2010 March/April 2011 % change Aberlour Distillery 813 850 4.6% Arduaine Garden 1577 1799 14.1% Auchindrain 483 684 41.6% Benmore Botanic Gardens 9450 9808 3.8% Bishops and Earls Palaces 543 616 13.4% Black House 725 1212 67.2% Bonawe Iron Furnace 395 418 5.8% Caol Ila Distillery 175 254 45.1% Cardhu Distillery 257 460 79.0% Clynelish Distillery 70 143 104.3% Cragganmore Distillery 93 153 64.5% Crarae 1064 1193 12.1% Culloden 9563 9284 -2.9% Dallas Dhu 688 881 28.1% Dalwhinnie Distillery 828 1920 131.9% Dunstaffnage Castle 1732 1859 7.3% Elgin Cathedral 1308 1611 23.2% Fort George 5604 6483 15.7% Geilston 1221 1160 -5.0% Glen Ord Distillery 1085 1086 0.1% Glencoe 2722 2795 2.7% Glenfinnan 1712 1527 -10.8% Groam House 346 422 22.0% Gurness Broch 589 577 -2.0% Hackness 67 63 -6.0% 5345 5486 2.6% Highland Wildlife Park 20967 18367 -12.4% Hill House 2881 2330 -19.1% Hugh Miller's Cottage 75 440 486.7% 8555 8253 -3.5% Inverewe Garden 2415 2984 23.6% Iona Abbey 883 756 -14.4% Jacobite Cruises 14369 18301 27.4% Jarslhof 350 452 29.1% Johnstons Cashmere Visitor Centre 25933 26672 2.8% Kisimul Castle 367 392 6.8% Lagavulin Distillery 642 1271 98.0% Mount Stuart House & Garden 1469 1610 9.6% Nevis Range 15294 18933 23.8% Oban Distillery 2184 2534 16.0% Skara Brae 3001 3182 6.0% Strathisla Distillery 833 652 -21.7% Talisker Distillery 2621 4337 65.5% The Glenlivet 2570 3334 29.7% Tomatin Distillery 1866 1711 -8.3% Tormiston Mill 1610 1902 18.1% Torridon 81 133 64.2% Urquhart Castle 24664 32893 33.4% TOTAL HIE AREA 247974 269505 8.7% Table 3 – March/April 2010.11 HIE area

ADDITIONAL ANECDOTAL COMMENT

The good weather and later Easter have a positive effect on numbers for many as can be seen in the comments below:

AUCHINDRAIN – “40% more than in same period last year, we think due to sunny weather and late Easter.”

HISTORIC SCOTLAND – “Overall really promising April with the Easter period being one of our best and saw some great year on year increases at sites over the Royal Wedding weekend.”

SCOTTISH FISHERIES MUSEUM – “… timing of Easter makes a big difference to the visitor spread over March/ aptil.”

YEAR TO DATE

HIE HIE Scotland Scotland SE 2010 2010 SE 2011 2011 2010 2011 Jan -Feb 1497856 89613 1513654 107070 1587469 1620724 2.1% March-April 2725877 247974 2817884 269505 2973851 3087389 3.8% Cumulative 4223733 337587 4331538 376575 4561320 4708113 3.2%