ASVA VISITOR TREND REPORT - SEPTEMBER 2009/2010

OVERVIEW

Visitor numbers for September 2009/2010 were received from 218 sites. 9 sites requested confidentiality, and although their numbers have been included in the calculations, they do not appear in the tables below. There are 14 sites for which there is no directly comparable data for 2009. The 2010 figures do appear in the table below for information but were not included in the calculations. Thus, directly comparable data has been used from 204 sites.

From the usable data from 204 sites, the total number of visits recorded in September 2010 was 1,551,800 this compares with 1,513,324 in 2009 and indicates an increase of 2.5% for the month.

Weatherwise, September was a changeable month with rain and strong winds, with average rainfall up to 150% higher than average Some areas experienced localised flooding and there was some disruption to ferry and rail services. The last weekend of the month saw clear skies in a northerly wind which brought local air frosts to some areas and a few places saw their lowest temperatures in September in 20 to30 years. http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/hi/uk_reviews/default.stm

September 2009 September 2010 % change SE AREA (156) 1,319,250 1,356,219 2.8% HIE AREA (48) 194,074 195,581 0.8% TOTAL (204) 1,513,324 1,551,800 2.5% Table 1 – Scotland September 2009/2010

SE AREA

In September 2010 there were 1,356,219 visits recorded, compared to 1,319,250 during the same period in 2009, an increase of 2.8%. 60% of respondents noted an increase and although the overall trend shows a modest increase, across the country there are variations even within the same area. The largely wet weather has had a mixed impact with some mainly outdoor sites noting a decrease (Ben Lawers, Edinburgh Zoo) whilst others saw increased visitor numbers (Culzean Country Park, Falkirk Wheel). In the Edinburgh area, many attractions enjoyed an increase, notably Edinburgh Castle (12%) the Scotch Whisky Experience (12%) and St Giles Cathedral (20%) but further down the Royal Mile the People’s Story and the Museum of Childhood both experienced a downturn. The Glasgow area had a similar experience with Kelvingrove and Glasgow Cathedral both showing good increases over 2009, whilst the Gallery of Modern Art and the People’s Palace were down. In Stirling, the Castle was 40% down but next door, the Stirling White House showed a huge increase of 107% in footfall.

Site name Sept 2009 Sept 2010 % change Aberdour Castle 1148 1112 -3.1% Tower 828 1101 33.0% 243 218 -10.3% Arbroath Abbey 1422 1427 0.4% Argyll's Lodgings 3435 2202 -35.9% Bachelors' Club 267 169 -36.7% Balvenie Castle 705 827 17.3% Bannockburn 4415 4349 -1.5% Barrie's Birthplace 442 509 15.2% 281 431 53.4% Ben Lawers 12995 11594 -10.8% Ben Lomond 2410 Blackness Castle 1423 1437 1.0% Blair Atholl Distillery 3158 3493 10.6% Blair Castle 13293 15167 14.1% Castle 877 1033 17.8% Branklyn Garden 529 444 -16.1% Brass Rubbing Centre 685 258 -62.3% British Golf Museum 5595 6452 15.3% Brodick Castle 2652 3135 18.2% Brodick Country Park 4070 4198 3.1% Brodie Castle 1492 1731 16.0% Broughton House 1430 1862 30.2% 2891 2641 -8.6% Burns Birthplace 22468 16461 Burns Monument 700 16783 15407 -8.2% Caerlaverock Castle 3516 3357 -4.5% Cairnpapple Hill 226 875 287.2% Camera Obscura & World of Illusions 9607 9811 2.1% Cardoness Castle 666 620 -6.9% Castle Campbell 1709 1622 -5.1% Castle Fraser 1542 1502 -2.6% Castle Semple Centre 6379 7423 16.4% Chatelherault 53345 53887 1.0% 5094

City Observatory 2800 Clatteringshaws Visitor Centre 4834 5670 17.3% Corgarff Castle 530 450 -15.1% Craigievar Castle 1747

Craigmillar Castle 1547 1735 12.2% Craignethan Castle 532 559 5.1% Crathes Castle 6715 4546 -32.3% Crichton Castle 476 584 22.7% Crossraguel Abbey 526 711 35.2% Culross 1820 1502 -17.5% Culzean Castle 8632 9411 9.0% Culzean Country Park 14755 16376 11.0% 1660 2636 58.8% Dirleton Castle 2116 2437 15.2% Doune Castle 3734 4006 7.3% Drum Castle 1818 1928 6.1% Dryburgh Abbey 2881 2218 -23.0% Dumbarton Castle 1294 1410 9.0% Dumfries Mus & Camera Obscura 1537 2039 32.7% Dunblane Cathedral 1657 3041 83.5% Science Centre 4537 3517 -22.5% Dundrennan Abbey 447 412 -7.8% Dunfermline Palace 1506 1562 3.7% Edinburgh Butterfly World 4315 4937 14.4% Edinburgh Castle 109635 122353 11.6% Edinburgh Mus Collections Centre 32 33 3.1% Edinburgh Zoo 45030 40942 -9.1% Edzell Castle 789 824 4.4% Elcho Castle 958 781 -18.5% Falkirk Wheel 51109 54789 7.2% Falkland Palace 4845 4626 -4.5% Fyvie Castle 1690 1418 -16.1% Gallery of Modern Art 45273 42176 -6.8% Georgian House 4249 4484 5.5% Gladstone's Land 4794 5241 9.3% Glasgow Cathedral 17616 23575 33.8% Glasgow Museums' Resource Centre 946 922 -2.5% Glenkinchie Distillery 2379 2690 13.1% Glenluce Abbey 175

Glentrool Visitor Centre 4781 5260 10.0% Greenbank Garden 2719 3061 12.6% Greenock Cut Visitor Centre 1561 1070 -31.5% Haddo House 429 441 2.8% Hermitage 57283 Hermitage Castle 459 872 90.0% Hill of Tarvit 79 477 503.8% Holmwood House 868 810 -6.7% House of Dun 1061 814 -23.3% House of the Binns 696 685 -1.6% Huntingtower Castle 913 1015 11.2% Huntly Castle 1390 1313 -5.5% Abbey 2466 2758 11.8% Inveresk 155 165 6.5% Jedburgh Abbey 2572 2732 6.2% Kellie Castle 1256 1285 2.3% Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum 102676 130596 27.2% Kildrummy Castle 999 752 -24.7% Killiecrankie 336903 Kirriemuir Camera Obscura 420 547 30.2% Kirroughtree Visitor Centre 4688 4563 -2.7% Laurieston Castle 5321 5584 4.9% Leith Hall 44

Linlithgow Palace 4258 4969 16.7% Loch Leven 1885 2047 8.6% Lochnagar Distillery 1492 1053 -29.4% Maclellans Castle 595 675 13.4% Malleny 432 626 44.9% Mar Lodge 41385 Meigle Museum 531 473 -10.9% Melrose Abbey 4911 6123 24.7% 723 632 -12.6% Moirlannich 229 139 -39.3% Mugdock Country Park 49826 48889 -1.9% Muirshiel Centre 787 1082 37.5% Museum of Childhood 24513 16769 -31.6% Museum of Costume 2709 2721 0.4% 5856 4432 -24.3% National Museum of Flight 11886 11236 -5.5% National Museum of Rural Life 5239 5766 10.1% National Museum of Scotland 45958 48523 5.6% 42240 48360 14.5% Nelson Monument 1361 2457 80.5% New Abbey Corn Mill 513 554 8.0% Village 7889 8203 4.0% Newark Castle 274 420 53.3% Newhailes 872 939 7.7% Paisley Museum 2770 5274 90.4% People's Palace 25477 20198 -20.7% People's Story 7205 5571 -22.7% Pitmedden 3288 4205 27.9% Pollok House 5117 4476 -12.5% Preston Mill 374 434 16.0% Priorwood 1287 1533 19.1% Provand's Lordship 11284 11663 3.4% Queensferry Museum 792 735 -7.2% Robert Burns Centre 4526 3287 -27.4% Robert Smail's Print Works 361 435 20.5% Rothesay Castle 751 802 6.8% Scotch Whisky Experience 21882 24465 11.8% Scotland Street School Museum 5767 4203 -27.1% Scott Monument 6672 8035 20.4% Scottish Mining Museum 4457 5809 30.3% St Serfs 558 760 36.2% Seton Collegiate Church 293 446 52.2% Smailholm Tower 681 793 16.4% Souter Johnnie's 557 337 -39.5% Spynie Palace 764 679 -11.1% St Andrews Castle 4149 5948 43.4% St Andrews Cathedral 2829 2352 -16.9% St Giles Cathedral 62738 75101 19.7% St Mungo Museum 13900 14032 0.9% Stanley Mills 1587 1695 6.8% 29189 18185 -37.7% Stirling White House 9036 18739 107.4% Sweetheart Abbey 1268 1307 3.1% Tantallon Castle 3059 2803 -8.4% Tenement House 2016 2141 6.2% Threave Castle 855 1725 101.8% Threave Garden 5397 5146 -4.7% Tolquhon Castle 545 492 -9.7% Travelling Gallery 3225 3183 -1.3% Wauchope Memorial 300 Weaver's Cottage 255 215 -15.7% Willow Tea Rooms 12540 12030 -4.1% Writers' Museum 4164 4168 0.1% TOTAL SE AREA 1319250 1356219 2.8% Table 2 – SE area September 2009.10 HIE AREA

September 2010 saw 195,581 visits compared to 194,074 in the same period in 2009, an increase of 0.8%. 56% of respondents noted an increase. Meaningful increases were reported from Johnston’s Cashmere Visitor Centre (11%) and Nevis Range (9%). A number of weather dependent sites noted a decrease including Culloden, Glenfinnan and the Highland Wildlife Park. Site name Sept 2009 Sept 2010 % change Aberlour Distillery 831 889 7.0% Arduaine Garden 1598 1600 0.1% Auchindrain 455 796 74.9% Bishops and Earls Palaces 1084 1334 23.1% Black House 1785 1410 -21.0% Bonawe Iron Furnace 840 572 -31.9% Brough of Birsay 393 764 94.4% Canna 23 60 160.9% Caol Ila Distillery 273 302 10.6% Cardhu Distillery 602 659 9.5% Carlyle's Birthplace 116 147 26.7% Clynelish Distillery 253 422 66.8% Cragganmore Distillery 273 291 6.6% Crarae 892 938 5.2% Culloden 13177 12773 -3.1% Dallas Dhu 1336 1350 1.0% Dalwhinnie Distillery 2824 3531 25.0% Dunstaffnage Castle 2395 2366 -1.2% Elgin Cathedral 2541 2498 -1.7% Fort George 6290 6979 11.0% Geilston 991 711 -28.3% Glen Ord Distillery 1480 1764 19.2% Glencoe 4317 35183 Glenfinnan 3047 2796 - 8.2% Groam House 917 840 -8.4% Gurness Broch 974 1070 9.9% Hackness 177 146 -17.5% 4639 4557 -1.8% Highland Wildlife Park 8446 8162 -3.4% Hill House 3590 2984 -16.9% Hugh Miller's Cottage 534 600 12.4% Inverewe Garden 9765 9568 -2.0% Iona Abbey 262 266 1.5% Jarslhof 1771 1417 -20.0% Johnstons Cashmere Visitor Centre 19356 21523 11.2% Kisimul Castle 663 588 -11.3% Lagavulin Distillery 541 493 -8.9% Nevis Range 12442 13538 8.8% Oban Distillery 4665 4573 -2.0% Skara Brae 6901 6510 -5.7% St Columba Centre 26 370 1323.1% Strathisla Distillery 1401 1423 1.6% Talisker Distillery 6400 5784 -9.6% The Glenlivet 5866 6019 2.6% Tormiston Mill 2248 2252 0.2% Torridon 986 492 -50.1% Urquhart Castle 28910 29351 1.5% TOTAL HIE AREA 194074 195581 0.8% Table 3 – HIE area September 2009.10

ADDITIONAL ANECDOTAL COMMENT

AUCHINDRAIN –“…this month we tried our first ever farmers’ market, which drew in 200 people.”

NEVIS RANGE – “4 closed days due to high winds. Last year we closed on 3 weekend days whereas this year we were winded off on weekdays”

HISTORIC SCOTLAND – “…our best April – September on record!”

YEAR TO DATE

SE09 HIE09 Scotland09 SE09 HIE10 Scotland10 % change Jan - Sept 12129608 1717448 13847056 11794527 1653763 13448290 -2.9