ASVA VISITOR TREND REPORT

NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2010/2011

OVERVIEW

Visitor figures for November/ December 2010/2011 were received from 220 sites. 4 sites requested confidentiality, and although their numbers have been included in the calculations, they do not appear in the tables below. 45 sites indicated that they were closed for the season. The Riverside Museum was not open in 2010 so their figures for 2011 are shown in the table below for reference but have not been included in the calculations. Similarly, the figures for the National Museum of Scotland are shown in the table below but have been excluded from the calculations as the site was only partially open in 2010. The figures for National Galleries Scotland include the Scottish National Gallery and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art but not for the recently re-opened Scottish National Portrait Gallery which was closed throughout 2010. (This re-opened at the end of November and the post-opening visitor figure for December 2011 was 51736.) Some sites were closed for the season during November & December but opened for pre-booked groups and these (usually modest) numbers are shown in the table below. Thus there is comparable data from 172 sites.

The total number of visits recorded in November/ December 2011 was 2,275,850 this compares with 1,953,079 in 2010 and indicates an increase of 16.5% for both months. Taken separately, November saw a modest increase of 1.6% and the increase in December was a dramatic 40.9%. It should be noted that December 2010 saw dreadful weather conditions where extensive snowfall and consistently low temperatures resulted in road closures with major disruption to all public transport modes, along with extensive school closures. But the figures above do indicate just how much the prevailing weather conditions can affect visitor numbers.

November 2010 November 2011 % change December 2010 December 2011 % change Scotland 1,212,854 1,232,593 1.6% 740,225 1,043,257 40.9% Table 1 – Scotland November/ December 2010/2011

Site name Nov-10 Nov-11 % change Dec-10 Dec-11 % change Aberdour Castle 346 779 125.1% 78 169 116.7% Aberlour Distillery 200 184 -8.0% 14 35 150.0% Alloa Tower 20 130 550.0% closed closed Almond Valley Heritage Centre 2594 4501 73.5% 2479 3484 40.5% Angus Folk Museum 170 Arbroath Abbey 934 509 -45.5% 113 230 103.5% Arduaine Garden 108 272 151.9% 81 6 -92.6% Auchindrain 54 32 -40.7% 20 Bannockburn 993 1330 33.9% 560 488 -12.9% Barrie's Birthplace 19 closed closed Barry Mill 2 closed closed Black House 185 49 -73.5% 16 14 -12.5% Blackness Castle 535 1166 117.9% 131 190 45.0% Blair Athol Distillery 430 659 53.3% 74 187 152.7% Blair Castle 2469 2484 0.6% 1452 1543 6.3% Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway 2258 3105 37.5% 9495 9954 4.8% Bothwell Castle 721 486 -32.6% 121 121 0.0% British Golf Museum 1212 1883 55.4% 834 1554 86.3% Brodick Castle 28 185 Brodick Country Park 39 358 817.9% 6 35 483.3% Brodie Castle 199 38 -80.9% 104 18 -82.7% Broughton House 0 10 closed closed Broughty Castle 1728 1397 -19.2% 453 1038 129.1% Burrell Collection 12026 12466 3.7% 7074 8604 21.6% Caerlaverock Castle 893 1041 16.6% 334 409 22.5% Cairngorm Mountain 4315 6518 51.1% 1618 7971 392.6% Callendar House 983 1308 33.1% 231 617 167.1% Camera Obscura& Wld of Illusions 36.2% 64.1% Camperdown Wildlife Centre 589 1898 222.2% 1723 3823 121.9% Cardhu Distillery 44 112 154.5% 5 36 620.0% Cardoness Castle 62 63 1.6% 5 10 100.0% Castle Campbell 371 856 130.7% 149 Castle Fraser 365 Castle Semple Centre 4051 4482 10.6% 3059 2974 -2.8% Chatelherault 41101 41063 -0.1% 30127 31931 6.0% City Art Centre 4001 3096 -22.6% 3449 8082 134.3% Clynelish Distillery 16 13 -18.8% 4 21 425.0% Corgarff Castle 40 120 200.0% 11 Cragganmore Distillery 13 23 76.9% Craigievar Castle 16 Craigmillar Castle 567 2080 266.8% 146 331 126.7% Craignethan Castle 63 138 119.0% 8 16 100.0% Crarae 70 6 -91.4% closed closed Crathes Castle 470 451 -4.0% 49 3326 6687.8% Culloden 1880 1885 0.3% 362 611 68.8% Culross 24 closed closed Culzean Castle 1445 2123 46.9% Culzean Country Park 3837 4997 30.2% 1651 2220 34.5% Dallas Dhu 145 203 40.0% 51 52 2.0% Dalwhinnie Distillery 505 616 22.0% 44 128 190.9% David Livingstone Centre 1956 1695 -13.3% 405 1474 264.0% Dewars World of Whisky 1911 1859 -2.7% 479 556 16.1% Dirleton Castle 616 1342 117.9% 160 368 130.0% Discovery Point 3107 3533 13.7% 1625 2022 24.4% Doune Castle 1002 1382 37.9% 263 460 74.9% Drumpellier Country Park 52502 47213 -10.1% 27478 31271 13.8% Dryburgh Abbey 416 644 54.8% 230 237 3.0% Dumbarton Castle 352 713 102.6% 31 154 396.8% Dumfries Mus & Camera Obscura 630 542 -14.0% 477 521 9.2% Dunblane Cathedral 793 772 -2.6% 143 126 -11.9% Dundrennan Abbey 62 51 -17.7% 7 12 71.4% Dunfermline Palace 177 710 301.1% 41 94 129.3% Dunstaffnage Castle 352 249 -29.3% 152 136 -10.5% Edinburgh Butterfly World 2915 2882 -1.1% 1354 1848 36.5% Edinburgh Castle 61911 60321 -2.6% 42854 52799 23.2% Edinburgh Museums’ Colls Centre 52 49 -5.8% 14 25 78.6% Edzell Castle 95 201 111.6% 12 16 33.3% Elgin Cathedral 305 472 54.8% 93 216 132.3% Falkland Palace 105 24 60 150.0% Fort George 906 1313 44.9% 153 369 141.2% Fyvie Castle 17 Gallery of Modern Art 38367 38769 1.0% 29825 44834 50.3% Georgian House 2085 2252 8.0% 56 301 437.5% Glasgow Cathedral 9629 5170 -46.3% 2272 5115 125.1% Glasgow Mus. Resource Centre 974 938 -3.7% 236 606 156.8% Glen Ord Distillery 371 456 22.9% 70 99 41.4% Glenfinnan 5 Glenkinchie Distillery 1046 1176 12.4% 137 593 332.8% Greenbank Garden 1665 1967 18.1% 255 1073 320.8% Greenock Cut Centre 145 202 39.3% 15 27 80.0% Groam House 52 54 3.8% 61 15 -75.4% Haddo House 100 570 470.0% Hamilton Mausoleum 30 Highland Wildlife Park 4617 3828 -17.1% 2478 2879 16.2% Hill House 255 98 -61.6% 657 1159 76.4% Holmwood House 56 41 -26.8% 0 547 House of Dun 26 277 965.4% 603 764 26.7% Huntingtower Castle 269 470 74.7% 16 184 1050.0% Huntly Castle 243 279 14.8% 4 92 2200.0% Inveraray Jail -11.9% 14.3% Inveresk 36 36 0.0% 13 Inverewe Garden 17 Iona Abbey 162 278 71.6% 93 84 -9.7% Jacobite Cruises 2984 3495 17.1% 2159 2537 17.5% Jedburgh Abbey 362 448 23.8% 105 216 105.7% Kellie Castle 147 67 -54.4% 164 Kelvingrove Art Gall & Museum 56815 67326 18.5% 31118 53987 73.5% Kinneil Museum 159 278 74.8% 32 198 518.8% Kirroughtree Visitor Centre 2015 987 -51.0% 1277 1090 -14.6% Lagavulin Distillery 100 150 50.0% 17 40 135.3% Lauriston Castle 3507 3808 8.6% 2245 3507 56.2% Linlithgow Palace 2766 2685 -2.9% 574 703 22.5% Lochnagar Distillery 405 450 11.1% 26 164 530.8% Low Parks Museum 2226 2042 -8.3% 1224 1734 41.7% Malleny 68 124 82.4% 25 McManus Galleries 14492 14292 -1.4% 8785 10561 20.2% Melrose Abbey 936 1198 28.0% 388 670 72.7% Mills Observatory 997 1265 26.9% 184 585 217.9% Mugdock Country Park 33897 51374 51.6% 36010 49121 36.4% Muirshiel Centre 301 246 -18.3% 25 115 360.0% Museum of Childhood 12520 12888 2.9% 8728 15997 83.3% Museum of Edinburgh 3018 4683 55.2% 1823 3484 91.1% National Galleries Scotland 70793 79771 12.7% 64987 93053 43.2% National Museum of Flight 1665 1973 18.5% 231 978 323.4% National Museum of Rural Life 3330 3539 6.3% 2682 3481 29.8% National Museum of Scotland 37914 144122 24945 128805 National War Museum 30535 26773 -12.3% 24895 22109 -11.2% Nelson Monument 728 842 15.7% 901 697 -22.6% New Abbey Corn Mill 67 119 77.6% 18 38 111.1% New Lanark Visitor Centre 4006 4662 16.4% 5641 7977 41.4% New Lanark World Heritage Site 20500 23780 16.0% 22100 29172 32.0% Newhailes 340 Oban Distillery 912 883 -3.2% 137 292 113.1% Paisley Museum 2278 2456 7.8% 941 1858 142.1% Palacerigg Country Park 23500 21281 -9.4% 8423 17288 105.2% Park Gallery 910 1069 17.5% 404 745 84.4% People's Palace 13914 13974 0.4% 4612 8216 78.1% People's Story 2650 3649 37.7% 1864 2772 48.7% Pictavia 17 29 70.6% 2 5 150.0% Pitmedden 8 54 575.0% 26 Pollok House 4536 4204 -7.3% 7334 9182 25.2% Priorwood 126 119 -5.6% 16 Provand's Lordship 7767 5994 -22.8% 2369 3201 35.1% Queensferry Museum 380 322 -15.3% 77 244 216.9% Riverside Museum 87857 52286

Robert Burns Birthplace Museum 21906 20605 -5.9% 20939 18420 -12.0% Robert Burns Centre 2123 1349 -36.5% 1653 1916 15.9% Robert Burns House 296 371 25.3% 236 191 -19.1% Robert Smail's Print Works 81 29 -64.2% closed closed Rothesay Castle 152 218 43.4% 35 38 8.6% Royal BotanicGarden, Edinburgh 28779 41272 43.4% 18029 31496 74.7% Scotch Whisky Experience 15560 16361 5.1% 14642 19538 33.4% Scotland Street School Museum 5711 3917 -31.4% 1997 2067 3.5% Scotland's People 2219 1901 -14.3% 1044 1184 13.4% Scott Monument 2359 2661 12.8% 1941 2175 12.1% Scottish Fisheries Museum 4537 4858 7.1% 3040 3809 25.3% Scottish Parliament Vis Centre 36231 24285 -33.0% 11270 14472 28.4% Scottish Seabird Centre 10217 12182 19.2% 8383 10189 21.5% Skara Brae 354 379 7.1% 91 194 113.2% Smailholm Tower 99 175 76.8% 6 Spynie Palace 53 134 152.8% 9 21 133.3% St Andrews Castle 1692 46 -97.3% 390 289 -25.9% St Andrews Cathedral 928 1462 57.5% 149 317 112.8% St Giles Cathedral 33313 43086 29.3% 27033 39221 45.1% St Mungo Museum 9865 8070 -18.2% 3395 4987 46.9% St Vigeans 36 15 -58.3% 6 Stanley Mills 607 139 -77.1% 38 Stirling Castle 11911 21056 76.8% 5455 10323 89.2% Strathclyde Country Park 380334 337954 -11.1% 181081 263230 45.4% Summerlee 6157 6483 5.3% 1688 3853 128.3% Sweetheart Abbey 139 132 -5.0% 37 16 -56.8% Talisker Distillery 953 1015 6.5% 124 179 44.4% Tantallon Castle 533 1277 139.6% 107 338 215.9% Tenement House 48 closed closed Threave Garden 790 1074 35.9% 726 482 -33.6% Tolquhon Castle 61 183 200.0% 56 Tomatin Distillery 532 591 11.1% 205 345 68.3% Tormiston Mill 324 210 -35.2% 127 11 -91.3% Travelling Gallery 2779 2399 -13.7% 490 779 59.0% Urquhart Castle 5423 6566 21.1% 3304 4567 38.2% Verdant Works 323 742 129.7% 197 361 83.2% Writers' Museum 2445 2050 -16.2% 1690 2075 22.8% TOTAL 1212854 1232593 1.6% 740225 1043257 40.9% Table 2 – individual listings November & December 2010/2011

YEAR TO DATE

Scotland 2010 Scotland 2011 % change January - October 19,743,925 19,739,914 0.0% November – December 1,953,079 2,275,850 16.5% January - December 21,697,004 22,015,764 1.5% Table 3 – Year to Date 2010.11

2011 was a year of mixed fortunes and no clear pattern emerging. The weather was a major factor in many months with the start of the year seeing widespread icy conditions, although not as bad as in 2010. Easter was late in April and the fact that there were two Bank Holidays on consecutive weekends (with good weather) appears to have helped boost numbers. The summer months were largely cool and wet with higher than average rainfall and below average temperatures. And as can be seen in the table above, the milder December has had a generally positive effect, helping to boost numbers by over 40%.

On the whole Edinburgh sites continue to do well and to a large extent buck the national trend, with more remote sites suffering flatlining or a downturn in visitors.

There were 3 significant new openings during 2011:  Riverside Museum, Glasgow (June)  National Museum of Scotland (July)  Scottish National Portrait Gallery (November)

These must have caused some degree of displacement to other attractions so the figure of 1.5% for the year is encouraging. It will be interesting to see how well these sites continue to fare when the 2012 figures can be compared directly with those of 2011.