ASVA VISITOR TREND REPORT

MAY 2010/2011

OVERVIEW

Comparable data for May 2010/2011 was received from 231 sites. 10 sites requested confidentiality, and although their numbers have been included in the calculations, they do not appear in the tables below. In addition, there are 6 sites for whom there is data for 2011 but not 2010 (which is shown below but not sued in calculations). Thus there is comparable data from 225 sites and from this, the total number of visits recorded in May 2011 was 1,856,469 this compares with 1,912,143 in 2010 and indicates a decrease of - 2.9% for the month.

Weatherwise, saw the wettest May on record (since 1910). This was accompanied by high winds at times causing disruption to transport. The late Spring Bank Holiday weekend at the end of the month was cool with overcast skies and some rainfall.so disappointing for many operators. http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/hi/uk_reviews/default.stm (See additional comments in section at the end of report)

May 2010 May 2011 % change SE AREA (173) 1,638,399 1,618,634 -1.2% HIE AREA (52) 273,744 237,635 -13.1% SCOTLAND TOTAL (225) 1,912,143 1,856,469 -2.9% Table 1 – Scotland May 2010/2011

SE AREA

In May 2011 there were 1,618,634 visits recorded, compared to 1,638,399 during the same period in 2010, a decrease of -1.2%. Just over 50% of respondents noted a decrease. Many of the more weather dependent sites noted decreases including – Chatelherault (-20%), Falkirk Wheel (-18%), World Heritage Site (-11%) and Royal Botanic Garden (-24%). But there were also a number of larger sites that reported an increase including – British Golf Museum (60%), Camera Obscura & World of Illusions (43%), Gallery of Modern Art (42%), Pollok House (147%), Robert Burns Birthplace Museum (39%), Scottish Seabird Centre(40%) and St Giles Cathedral (22%) – all of which have an indoor component.

Site name May 2010 May 2011 % change Aberdour Castle 1568 1424 -9.2% 798 1027 28.7% Almond Valley Heritage Centre 14513 13162 -9.3% 350 280 -20.0% Arbroath Abbey 1474 1312 -11.0% Argyll's Lodgings 2542

Bachelors' Club 153 156 2.0% Balvenie Castle 728 827 13.6% Bannockburn 6167 6623 7.4% Barrie's Birthplace 851 537 -36.9% 341 924 171.0% Blackness Castle 1569 1330 -15.2% Blair Athol Distillery 102 2231 2087.3% Blair Castle 12704 11999 -5.5% Bothwell Castle 964 1027 6.5% Branklyn Garden 2516 2770 10.1% British Golf Museum 4462 7123 59.6% Brodick Castle 2849 4147 45.6% Brodick Country Park 4848 5802 19.7% Brodie Castle 1684 1685 0.1% Broughton House 1735 1802 3.9% 15360 17505 14.0% Caerlaverock Castle 3067 3720 21.3% Cairnpapple Hill 513 460 -10.3% Camera Obsura & World of Illusions 42.7% Cardoness Castle 517 509 -1.5% Castle Campbell 1369 1570 14.7% Castle Fraser 1320 1595 20.8% Castle Semple Centre 9479 6919 -27.0% Chatelherault 72127 57978 -19.6% 6882

Clatteringshaws Visitor Centre 5539 3683 -33.5% Corgarff Castle 439 468 6.6% Craigievar Castle 2061 1293 -37.3% Craigmillar Castle 2281 1997 -12.5% Craignethan Castle 773 499 -35.4% Crathes Castle 4286 5763 34.5% Crichton Castle 581 295 -49.2% Crossraguel Abbey 487 362 -25.7% Culross 1654 1890 14.3% Culzean Castle 10210 11000 7.7% Culzean Country Park 21825 22604 3.6% 3062 3333 8.9% Dawyck Gardens 4444 4050 -8.9% Dewar’s World of Whisky 6.8% Dirleton Castle 2409 2887 19.8% Discovery Point 4508 4751 5.4% Doune Castle 4249 4070 -4.2% Drum Castle 1894 2087 10.2% Dryburgh Abbey 2473 1956 -20.9% Dumbarton Castle 1530 1150 -24.8% & Camera Obscura 1357 1051 -22.5% Dunblane Cathedral 1087 1747 60.7% Dundee Science Centre 4524 4347 -3.9% Dundrennan Abbey 420 302 -28.1% Dunfermline Palace 1741 1584 -9.0% Edinburgh Butterfly World 7836 9247 18.0% Edinburgh Castle 115492 117700 1.9% Edinburgh Museums’ Collections Cent 21 25 19.0% Edinburgh Zoo 62810 62810 0.0% Edzell Castle 1039 680 -34.6% Elcho Castle 817 658 -19.5% Falkirk Wheel 52049 42837 -17.7% Falkland Palace 5107 6142 20.3% Fyvie Castle 2353 1913 -18.7% Gallery of Modern Art 37804 53714 42.1% Georgian House 5132 5203 1.4% Gladstone's Land 5732 6029 5.2% Cathedral 29238 20083 -31.3% Glasgow Museums’ Resource Centre 658 1095 66.4% Glasgow School of Art 2372 2257 -4.8% Glenkinchie Distillery 3322 2908 -12.5% Glenluce Abbey 152 199 30.9% Glentrool Visitor Centre 4711 4045 -14.1% Grampian Transport Museum 4475 3245 -27.5% Greenbank Garden 4066 4370 7.5% Greenock Cut Centre 1559 969 -37.8% Haddo House 573 466 -18.7% Hamilton Mausoleum 131 93 -29.0% Hermitage Castle 662 580 -12.4% Hill of Tarvit 458 1228 168.1% Holmwood House 661 636 -3.8% House of Dun 953 1003 5.2% House of the Binns 30 110 266.7% Huntingtower Castle 863 739 -14.4% Huntly Castle 871 1400 60.7% Inchcolm Abbey 2261

Inchmahome Priory 2908 1925 -33.8% Inveresk 312 276 -11.5% Jedburgh Abbey 2175 2186 0.5% Kellie Castle 1338 1850 38.3% Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum 89532 83451 -6.8% Kildrummy Castle 1393 788 -43.4% Killiecrankie 3705 1598 -56.9% Kirriemuir Camera Obscura 250 327 30.8% Kirroughtree Visitor Centre 4618 3758 -18.6% Lauriston Castle 7053 6833 -3.1% Linlithgow Palace 4976 4858 -2.4% Loch Leven 2944 1863 -36.7% Lochnagar Distillery 1284 1006 -21.7% Logan Botanic Garden 3518 3389 -3.7% Low Parks Museum 2515 2478 -1.5% Macduff Marine Aquarium 3881 3807 -1.9% Maclellans Castle 573 511 -10.8% Meigle Museum 326 385 18.1% Melrose Abbey 5447 5419 -0.5% Moirlannich 210 189 -10.0% Mugdock Country Park 61484 56464 -8.2% Muirshiel Centre 1676 878 -47.6% Museum of Childhood 16557 15463 -6.6% 5421 4118 -24.0% National Galleries Scotland 95219 92967 -2.4% National Mining Museum Scotland 2518 2905 15.4% National Museum of Costume 1820 1680 -7.7% National Museum of Flight 7134 6638 -7.0% National Museum of Rural Life 8929 8850 -0.9% National Museum of Scotland 43918 43109 -1.8% 50011 49572 -0.9% Nelson Monument 1745 1934 10.8% New Abbey Corn Mill 453 344 -24.1% New Lanark Visitor Centre 10425 8980 -13.9% New Lanark World Heritage Site 35145 31279 -11.0% Newark Castle 489 482 -1.4% Newhailes 933 2373 154.3% People's Palace 21602 22284 3.2% People's Story 6120 4777 -21.9% Pictavia 414 303 -26.8% Pitmedden 2451 2565 4.7% Pollok House 6118 15135 147.4% Preston Mill 29

Priorwood 1553 1217 -21.6% Provand's Lordship 9328 7192 -22.9% Queensferry Museum 950 469 -50.6% Real Mary Kings Close 14517 16275 12.1% Robert Burns Birthplace Museum 33995 47174 38.8% Robert Burns Centre 3196 2214 -30.7% Robert Burns House 1321 1109 -16.0% Robert Smail's Print Works 405 437 7.9% Rosslyn Chapel 14916

Rothesay Castle 1189 607 -48.9% Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 88007 67159 -23.7% Scotch Whisky Experience 24512 25541 4.2% Scotland Street School Museum 3721 6078 63.3% Scotland's People 2184 2360 8.1% Scotland's Secret Bunker 3006 3249 8.1% Scott Monument 6725 5163 -23.2% Scottish Deer Centre 11065 6989 -36.8% Scottish Fisheries Museum 8870 8967 1.1% Scottish Seabird Centre 16803 23566 40.2% Seton Collegiate Church 225 242 7.6% Smailholm Tower 661 520 -21.3% Souter Johnnie's 318 416 30.8% Spynie Palace 257 539 109.7% St Andrews Castle 5693 6208 9.0% St Andrews Cathedral 3501 3444 -1.6% St Giles Cathedral 73682 89732 21.8% St Mungo Museum 10597 10596 0.0% St Serfs 513 555 8.2% St Vigeans 159 55 -65.4% Stanley Mills 1677 1333 -20.5% Stirling Castle 30944 34039 10.0% Sweetheart Abbey 1118 740 -33.8% Tantallon Castle 3112 2755 -11.5% Tenement House 2130 2417 13.5% Threave Castle 1329 1373 3.3% Threave Garden 6628 7674 15.8% Tolquhon Castle 389 418 7.5% Travelling Gallery 2462 1919 -22.1% Weaver's Cottage 186 228 22.6% Willow Tea Rooms 11952 11164 -6.6% Writers' Museum 3970 3900 -1.8% SE AREA TOTAL 1638399 1618634 -1.2% Table 2 – SE area May 2010.11

HIE AREA

May 2011 saw 237,835 visits compared to 273,744 in the same period in 2010, a decrease of -13.1%. Almost 65% of respondents noted a decrease. The weather had an adverse effect on visitor numbers at many weather dependent sites here too – including Cairngorm Mountain (-23%), Glencoe (-73%), Highland Wildlife Park (-42%), Inverewe Garden (-18%) and Nevis Range (-32%). Johnston’s Cashmere Visitor Centre appears to have seen some benefit from the rainy conditions, showing a 21% increase in numbers over 2010.

Site name May 2010 May 2011 % change Aberlour Distillery 939 922 -1.8% Arduaine Garden 3705 3397 -8.3% Auchindrain 883 618 -30.0% Benmore Botanic Gardens 8853 6843 -22.7% Bishops and Earls Palaces 1316 1423 8.1% Black House 2086 1437 -31.1% Bonawe Iron Furnace 595 554 -6.9% Cairngorm Mountain 12486 9586 -23.2% Canna 722

Caol Ila Distillery 705 477 -32.3% Cardhu Distillery 266 393 47.7% Carlyle's Birthplace 48 112 133.3% Clynelish Distillery 106 224 111.3% Cragganmore Distillery 227 253 11.5% Crarae 3896 3180 -18.4% Culloden 11258 10984 -2.4% Dallas Dhu 1488 925 -37.8% Dalwhinnie Distillery 2333 2193 -6.0% Dunstaffnage Castle 2259 1809 -19.9% Elgin Cathedral 2392 2516 5.2% Fort George 5427 4856 -10.5% Geilston 1934 1581 -18.3% Glen Ord Distillery 1509 1271 -15.8% Glencoe 17016 4531 -73.4% Glenfinnan 2691 3022 12.3% Groam House 962 969 0.7% Gurness Broch 1194 1390 16.4% Hackness 314 186 -40.8% 5451 5206 -4.5% Highland Wildlife Park 11704 6759 -42.3% Hill House 3361 3863 14.9% Hugh Miller's Cottage 273 722 164.5% 5058 4667 -7.7% Inverewe Garden 11338 9270 -18.2% Iona Abbey 1386 306 -77.9% Jacobite Cruises 15220 12987 -14.7% Jarlshof 1903 1585 -16.7% Johnstons Cashmere Visitor Centre 17211 20808 20.9% Kisimul Castle 584 788 34.9% Lagavulin Distillery 856 971 13.4% Nevis Range 15151 10265 -32.2% Oban Distillery 2693 3258 21.0% Skara Brae 8826 8515 -3.5% Strathisla Distillery 1339 1318 -1.6% Talisker Distillery 4660 4869 4.5% The Glenlivet 4538 4745 4.6% Tomatin Distillery 2461 2129 -13.5% Tormiston Mill 2482 2790 12.4% Torridon 742 805 8.5% Urquhart Castle 30088 27858 -7.4% 273744 237835 -13.1% Table 3 – HIE area May 2010.11

ADDITIONAL ANECDOTAL COMMENT:

Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh

“…the relentlessly dire weather in May led to a significant decline in visitation. In the light of sustained grey days and wet weekends and a total of four dates on which wild winds forced the garden to close early- including from noon on Whit Bank Holiday Sunday…”

INVERARAY JAIL

“Storm caused 3 power cuts, one lasting over 30 hours and resulted in 2 days lost business.”

NEVIS RANGE

“6 days closed and almost 4 times the average rainfall for May, meaning that it rained 27 out of 31 days – so lots of days with poor visibility. We believe we are also being affected by the high cost of fuel.”

AUCHINDRAIN

“…down 30% on 2010, without doubt due to a long spell of consistently cold and wet weather. What we gained in April we lost in May!”

YEAR TO DATE HIE HIE Scotland Scotland Cumulative 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% May 1638399 273744 1618634 237835 1912143 1856469 -2.9% Cumulative 5862132 611331 5950172 614410 6473463 6564582 1.4%

Table 4 – Year to Date 2010.11