ASVA VISITOR TREND REPORT - JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2010/2011

OVERVIEW

Visitor numbers for January & February 2010/2011 were received from 230 sites. 9 sites requested confidentiality, and although their numbers have been included in the calculations, they do not appear in the tables below. 80 sites were closed for the season. Thus, directly comparable data has been used in this report from 150 sites.

From the usable data from 150 sites, the total number of visits recorded in 2011 was 1,620,724 this compares with 1,513,654 in 2009 and indicates an increase of 2.1% for both months. January saw an increase of 6.5% over the previous year and February was -1.3% down on 2010. As can be seen in the table below, the HIE area saw a more marked increase than SE and this is likely to be because the inclement weather in 2010 across both months meant that many sites had to close for all or part of the period. In addition, there was disruption across all modes of transport making travel unpredictable, and this must have impacted negatively on visits to attractions.

Weatherwise, the early part of January saw snow & ice continue to cause inconvenience to drivers and this cold weather continued until the middle of the month when milder, wetter and windier weather took control. These conditions prevailed into February. Severe gales cut power supplies to parts of the west and north of the country at the beginning of the month. Temperatures were near or above normal for most of the month. http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/hi/uk_reviews/default.stm

January & February 2010 January & February 2011 % change SE AREA (117) 1,497,856 1,513,654 1.1% HIE AREA (33) 89,613 107,070 19.5% SCOTLAND TOTAL (150) 1,497,856 1,513,654 2.1% Table 1 – Scotland January & February 2010/2011

SE AREA

In January & February 2011 there were 1,513,654 visits recorded, compared to 1,497,856 during the same period in 2010, indicating an increase of 1.1%. In the SE area, January visits were up by 5% but down by -2.1% in February. 44% of respondents reported a decrease across both months. Most of the decreases were fairly modest but significantly the three largest attractions – Edinburgh Castle, Kelvingrove and the National Galleries all showed a decrease and this will have influenced the overall figure. A number of larger sites did show meaningful increases – , Camera Obscura and World of Illusions, Edinburgh Butterfly World, Edinburgh Zoo, Cathedral, Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, Scotland Street School and the Scottish Seabird Centre – and this helped mitigate the final figure.

January & January & February Site name % change February 2010 2011 Aberdour Castle 713 750 5.2% closed closed Almond Valley Heritage Centre 8867 10138 14.3% Angus Folk Museum closed closed Arbroath Abbey 653 553 - 15.3% Argyll's Lodgings 892 1456 63.2% Bachelors' Club closed Closed Balvenie Castle closed closed Bannockburn 2104 498 -76.3% Barrie's Birthplace closed closed 25 0 Ben Lomond 1420 2475 74.3% Blackness Castle 1190 1102 -7.4% Blair Athol Distillery 311 306 -1.6% Bothwell Castle 664 813 22.4% Branklyn Garden closed closed British Golf Museum 1469 2257 53.6% Brodick Castle closed closed Brodick Country Park closed closed Brodie Castle 689 649 -5.8% Broughton House closed closed Burrell Collection 25290 27386 8.3% Caerlaverock Castle 1643 1611 -1.9% Cairnpapple Hill closed closed Callendar House 2223 2062 -7.2% Camera Obscura & World of Illusions 13483 17295 28.3% Cardoness Castle 74 76 2.7% Castle Campbell 857 802 -6.4% Castle Fraser closed closed Castle Semple Centre 10389 10717 3.2% Chatelherault 82713 73918 -10.6% Clatteringshaws Visitor Centre closed closed Corgarff Castle 21

Cornalees Centre 444 682 53.6% Craigievar Castle closed closed Craigmillar Castle 1286 1496 16.3% Craignethan Castle 119 228 91.6% Crathes Castle 526 855 62.5% Crichton Castle closed closed Crossraguel Abbey closed closed Culross closed closed Culzean Castle 50 0 Culzean Country Park 9417 9380 -0.4% 699 608 -13.0% Dewars World of Whisky 2.4% Dirleton Castle 997 1471 47.5% Doune Castle 1396 1336 -4.3% Drum Castle closed closed Dryburgh Abbey 691 711 2.9% Dumbarton Castle 767 652 -15.0% & Camera Obs 1831 1853 1.2% Dunblane Cathedral 1150 1563 35.9% Dundee Science Centre 6809 7854 15.3% Dundrennan Abbey 60 49 -18.3% Dunfermline Palace 466 491 5.4% Edinburgh Butterfly World 7859 10135 29.0% Edinburgh Castle 100389 91029 -9.3% Edinburgh Mus Collections Centre 56 65 16.1% Edinburgh Zoo 45874 52932 15.4% Edzell Castle 74 112 51.4% Elcho Castle closed closed Falkirk Wheel 11558 15459 33.8% Falkland Palace closed closed Fyvie Castle 14 78 457.1% Gallery of Modern Art 74383 76590 3.0% Georgian House 22 0 Gladstone's Land closed closed Glasgow Cathedral 7790 12509 60.6% Glasgow Mus Resource Centre 1274 1756 37.8% Glasgow School of Art 2230 1898 -14.9% Glenkinchie Distillery 1017 969 -4.7% Glenluce Abbey closed closed Glentrool Visitor Centre closed Closed Grampian Transport Museum closed closed Greenbank Garden 3343 2563 -23.3% Haddo House 7 0 Hamilton Mausoleum 34 93 173.5% Hermitage Castle closed Closed Hill of Tarvit closed closed Holmwood House Closed closed House of Dun closed Closed House of the Binns closed closed Huntingtower Castle 507 490 -3.4% Huntly Castle 98 377 284.7% Inchcolm Abbey closed closed Inchmahome Priory closed closed Inveresk 54 57 5.6% Jedburgh Abbey 509 561 10.2% Kellie Castle closed closed Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum 141463 129808 -8.2% Kildrummy Castle closed Closed Killiecrankie closed closed Kinneil Museum 315 394 25.1% Kirriemuir Camera Obscura closed Closed Kirroughtree Visitor Centre closed Closed Lauriston Castle 5396 4974 -7.8% Leith Hall closed closed Linlithgow Palace 441 3362 662.4% Loch Leven closed closed Lochnagar Distillery 264 148 - 43.9% Low Parks Museum 3889 4398 13.1% Macduff Marine Aquarium 2245 4229 88.4% Maclellans Castle closed closed Malleny 116 98 - 15.5% Mar Lodge closed Closed Meigle Museum closed closed Melrose Abbey 1207 1452 20.3% Moirlannich closed closed Mugdock Country Park 89122 74171 - 16.8% Muirshiel Centre 580 779 34.3% Museum of Childhood 25568 20330 -20.5% 6121 5219 -14.7% National Galleries Scotland 167906 161040 -4.1% National Mining Museum 4037 4521 12.0% National Museum of Costume closed closed National Museum of Flight 4055 4345 7.2% National Museum of Rural Life 8595 8604 0.1% National Museum of Scotland 90545 86520 -4.4% 45483 47376 4.2% Nelson Monument 1239 1201 -3.1% New Abbey Corn Mill 80 86 7.5% Village 4017 4237 5.5% Newark Castle closed Closed Newhailes closed closed Paisley Museum 5055 4306 -14.8% Park Gallery 499 2015 303.8% People's Palace 35021 30549 -12.8% People's Story 5947 4812 -19.1% Pitmedden closed closed 9752 8735 - 10.4% Preston Mill closed Closed Priorwood closed closed Provand's Lordship 10283 8685 - 15.5% Queensferry Museum 1229 612 -50.2% Real Mary Kings Close 22127 20815 -5.9% Robert Burns Birthplace Museum 36280 91305 151.7% Robert Burns Centre 3103 3160 1.8% Robert Burns House 1099 1284 16.8% Robert Smail's Print Works 0 5 Rosslyn Chapel 6865 7362 7.2% Rothesay Castle 360 226 -37.2% Scotch Whisky Experience 25795 25604 -0.7% Scotland Street School Museum 7372 12005 62.8% Scott Monument 4272 4421 3.5% Scottish Fisheries Museum 9056 8020 -11.4% Scottish Seabird Centre 24475 28043 14.6% Seton Collegiate Church closed closed Smailholm Tower 32 207 546.9% Souter Johnnie's closed closed Spynie Palace 0 137 St Andrews Castle 2182 3027 38.7% St Andrews Cathedral 828 1617 95.3% St Giles Cathedral 57061 55428 -2.9% St Mungo Museum 19728 11953 -39.4% St Serfs closed closed St Vigeans 39 55 41.0% Stanley Mills 788 1104 40.1% Stirling Castle 18675 16478 -11.8% Stirling White House 3158 4550 44.1% Sweetheart Abbey 132 200 51.5% Tantallon Castle 1214 1163 -4.2% Tenement House closed Closed Threave Castle closed closed Threave Garden 884 557 -37.0% Tolquhon Castle 1 109 Weaver's Cottage closed closed Willow Tea Rooms 15581 15567 -0.1% Writers' Museum 4810 4174 -13.2% TOTAL SE AREA 1497856 1513654 1.1% Table 2 – SE area January & February 2010.11

HIE AREA

January & February 2011 saw 107,070 visits compared to 89,613 in the same period in 2010, an increase of 19.5%. January visits were up by 32.9%, whilst in February the increase was 10.2%, so significantly greater year on year increases than in the SE area. Whilst 33% of sites were down across both months, larger sites were showing meaningful increases – Johnston’s Cashmere Visitor Centre, Nevis Range, Urquhart Castle – which helped boost the overall increase. January & January & % change Site name February 2010 February 2011 Aberlour Distillery 251 214 -14.7% Arduaine Garden 193 174 -9.8% Auchindrain 49 68 38.8% Balmacara closed closed Bishops and Earls Palaces closed closed Black House 70 104 48.6% Bonawe Iron Furnace closed closed Brough of Birsay closed closed Caol Ila Distillery 17 31 82.4% Cardhu Distillery 33 121 266.7% Carlyle's Birthplace closed closed Clynelish Distillery 0 18 Cragganmore Distillery closed closed Crarae closed closed Culloden 1938 2134 10.1% Dallas Dhu 103 161 56.3% Dalwhinnie Distillery 186 650 249.5% Dunstaffnage Castle 588 382 -35.0% Elgin Cathedral 144 325 125.7% Fort George 1052 1546 47.0% Geilston closed closed Glen Ord Distillery 270 212 -21.5% Glencoe closed closed Glenfinnan closed closed Glenmore Visitor Centre closed closed Gurness Broch closed closed Hackness closed closed closed closed Highland Wildlife Park 11015 11004 -0.1% Hill House closed closed Hugh Miller's Cottage closed closed 3495 2820 -19.3% Inverewe Garden closed closed Iona Abbey 225 157 -30.2% Jacobite Cruises 5323 5312 -0.2% Jarlshof closed closed Johnstons Cashmere Visitor Centre 21337 27224 27.6% Kisimul Castle closed closed Lagavulin Distillery 59 139 135.6% Mount Stuart House & Garden 27 0 Nevis Range 10095 18212 80.4% Oban Distillery 539 458 -15.0% Skara Brae 417 577 38.4% St Columba Centre closed closed St Kilda closed closed Strathisla Distillery 79 31 -60.8% Talisker Distillery 509 704 38.3% The Glenlivet closed closed Tomatin Distillery 1119 475 -57.6% Tormiston Mill 186 249 33.9% Torridon closed closed Urquhart Castle 6812 8377 23.0% TOTAL HIE AREA 89613 107070 19.5% Table 3 – HIE area January & February 2010.11

ADDITIONAL ANECDOTAL COMMENT

NEVIS RANGE - “January – 4 days closed due to high winds, February – 5 days closed due to high winds”

ST GILES CATHEDRAL – “…lot of building work going on inside the cathedral which affected our numbers.”