OVER 65 MILLION VISITS TO LONDON ATTRACTIONS IN 2015

Over 65 million individuals visited points of interest in London final yr and the Prime 10 most visited points of interest in ALVA’s listing have been all London based mostly. The British Museum continued to be the preferred customer attraction general for the ninth yr operating with 6,820,686 guests and remaining in 2nd place was the Nationwide Gallery with 5,908,254 guests. third place was achieved by the Pure Historical past Museum, which noticed 5,284,023 guests.

General there was a mean improve of 1.61% on 2014 customer numbers to London points of interest.

Momentary Exhibitions performed an important half on this yr’s figures all through the UK. The most important improve in customer numbers within the prime 10 points of interest was Somerset Home, which noticed a rise of 31% (three,235,104 & eighth place) – primarily because of their short-term exhibitions and public programmes. As well as the Nationwide Maritime Museum noticed a 10.6% improve following the opening of the brand new AHOY! Youngsters’s Gallery and their family-focused exhibitions similar to Towards Captain’s Orders final summer time and the Royal Academy credited their 33% improve to Ai Weiwei plus the massively well-liked Summer time exhibition. Alexander McQueen: Savage Magnificence, which closed in August was the V&A’s most visited exhibition with 493,043 individuals seeing it in complete throughout its 21-week run. For the ultimate two weekends, the V&A opened the exhibition all through the night time for the primary time in its historical past to accommodate unprecedented demand. Additionally massively well-liked with the guests and press was Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon on the Nationwide Portrait Gallery.

Bernard Donoghue, Director of ALVA, commented: “2015 continued to be a document yr primarily resulting from our members persevering with to point out how numerous the UK is to each home and abroad guests. Extra individuals visited the V&A, the Pure Historical past Museum and the Science Museum, mixed, than visited Venice. Extra individuals visited the British Museum and the Nationwide Gallery, mixed, than visited Barcelona and extra individuals visited the Southbank Centre, Tate Trendy and Tate Britain, mixed, than visited Hong Kong.”

He continued; “The present weak spot of the £ to the $ and Euro is making the UK a extra reasonably priced vacation spot and 2016 is on track to be one other memorable yr for ALVA members, Vogue 100: A Century of Type runs on the Nationwide Portrait Gallery till Might 22; ZSL London Zoo unveiling Land of the Lions to the general public on March 25, this can be a model new Indian-inspired house for Asiatic lions. The British Museum’s main summer time exhibition is the BP exhibition Sunken cities: Egypt’s misplaced worlds, which opens on 19 Might, whereas the extremely anticipated extension on the Tate Trendy might be opening on June 17. Wolfgang Buttress’ award profitable 17 metre excessive set up, The Hive from the UK Pavilion on the Milan Expo 2015 can be coming to Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in June and later within the yr, Tate Britain will host an exhibition dedicated to David Hockney.”

“All year long, a number of of our members shall be marking the 400th anniversary of the demise of Shakespeare, notably the Globe and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre & Swan Theatre and Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford-upon- Avon, plus the British Library has a serious new exhibition opening on April 15, Shakespeare in Ten Acts, and an in depth Shakespeare occasions programme. The centenary of Battle of Jutland will be a magnet for the Nationwide Museum of the Royal Navy (Portsmouth) in collaboration with Imperial Conflict Museum with an exhibition 36 Hours: Jutland 1916, the Battle that gained the conflict which opens on Might 12 and, individually, the Nationwide Maritime Museum with Jutland: The Battle and its Legacies which opens on Might 20.”

Gordon Innes, CEO of London & Companions, stated: “London’s world-famous customer points of interest cement the capital’s standing as a cultural powerhouse and are an enormous draw for worldwide vacationers. Final yr, over 65 million individuals noticed London’s spectacular cultural providing first-hand and we hope to smash this document in 2016. Guests to the capital this yr can be handled to an array of exhibitions, occasions and leisure, together with celebrations for the Queen’s 90th birthday, Shakespeare400, Harry Potter and the Cursed Youngster and EXHIBITIONISM – the primary main exhibition on the Rolling Stones.”