Visitor Attraction Trends England

Transcription

1 Visitor Attraction Trends England 2003

2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS VisitBritain would like to thank all representatives and operators in the attraction sector who provided information for the national survey on which this report is based. No part of this publication may be reproduced for commercial purposes without previous written consent of VisitBritain. Extracts may be quoted if the source is acknowledged. Statistics in this report are given in good faith on the basis of information provided by proprietors of attractions. VisitBritain regrets it cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information contained in this report nor accept responsibility for error or misrepresentation. Published by VisitBritain (incorporated under the 1969 Development of Tourism Act as the British Tourist Authority) 2004 British Tourist Authority (trading as VisitBritain) Cover images From left to right: Alnwick Castle, Legoland Windsor, Kent and East Sussex Railway, Royal Academy of Arts, Penshurst Place VisitBritain is grateful to English Heritage and the MLA for their financial support for the 2003 survey. ISBN September 2004 VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

3 CONTENTS CONTENTS A KEY FINDINGS 4 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Research objectives Survey method Population, sample and response rate Guide to the tables 15 2 ENGLAND VISIT TRENDS England visit trends by attraction category England visit trends by admission type England visit trends by volume of visits to attractions England visit trends by geographic location England visit trends by proportion of overseas visits England visit trends by proportion of child visits Factors affecting visits to attractions in ENGLISH GOVERNMENT OFFICE REGION VISIT TRENDS Visit trends by English Government Office Region Visit trends by attraction category within English GOR Visit trends by admission type by English GOR Visit trends by volume of visits by English GOR Visit trends by geographic location by English GOR 27 4 ADULT ADMISSION PRICE TRENDS Adult admission prices by English GOR Adult admission prices by volume of visits Adult admission prices by attraction category Adult admission prices by geographic location Adult admission prices by proportion of overseas visits Adult admission prices by proportion of child visits 31 5 REVENUE AND MARKETING EXPENDITURE TRENDS Gross revenue trend Marketing expenditure trend VISITS TO INDIVIDUAL ATTRACTIONS Major attractions in England Major attractions in English Government Office Regions Individual attractions by category type 54 Appendix 1 Reference sources 93 Appendix 2 Questionnaire and guidelines Appendix 3 Index of attractions in section 6 99 Appendix 4 Notes 126 VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

4 KEY FINDINGS A. KEY FINDINGS A.1 England tourism trends in 2003 Table A.1 England tourism trends Trips % Nights % / /02 (m) (m) (m) (m) (m) (m) (m) (m) (m) (m) UK residents trips in England Overseas visits to England P UK residents trips abroad Sources: United Kingdom Tourism Survey (UKTS) International Passenger Survey (IPS) P Provisional The United Kingdom Tourism Survey (UKTS) indicates that the initial recovery in domestic trips seen in 2002 did not continue in UK residents trips of one night or more in England fell by 10% in 2003 and nights by 11%. While there were falls across all purposes of visit, the largest falls were among trips to visit friends or relatives (VFR), particularly those which were mainly for a holiday (-29%). Holiday trips fell by 4% while VFR trips not for a holiday fell by 13%.The International Passenger Survey (IPS) shows that UK outbound trips on the other hand have been growing slowly but steadily, rising by 3% in The inbound visitor market continued its recovery in 2003 with both trips and nights in England rising by 3%, approaching close to their 2000 level. A.2 Overall trends in visits to English attractions was the sunniest on record in England, beating the previous sunniest in It was also the 2 nd driest year since (Source: Met Office). August, the peak holiday month in England, was particularly hot, with daytime temperatures on occasions reaching well over 35 C. While the good weather tended to favour outdoor attractions over indoor attractions, the extreme heat may well have discouraged some travel altogether. Other major factors affecting tourism in 2003 were the war in Iraq and the SARS virus, which discouraged international travel in the first half of the year. The 2,027 England visitor attractions that provided visits figures for both 2002 and 2003 reported an average increase of +2% in VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

5 KEY FINDINGS Table A.2 England visit trends by attraction category (%) Category Attractions % 03/02 sample Country parks (87) +9 Farms (70) +13 Gardens (126) +6 Historic houses/castles (392) +4 Other historic properties (149) -2 Leisure/theme parks (41) +2 Museums/art galleries (657) +1 Steam/heritage railways (52) +3 Visitor/heritage centres (81) +7 Wildlife attractions/zoos (95) +1 Workplaces (108) +6 Places of worship (75) -5 Other (96) -3 England (2,027) +2 Most categories showed growth in Farm attractions (which had the largest fall in 2001), continued their strong 2002 recovery, with a further +13% increase in Country parks (+9%) also continued their 2002 recovery after their decline in Museums/art galleries, which represent around a third of all attractions, recorded a small increase in visits (+1%) in The initial growth from the introduction of free entry to the previously paid entry national museums appears to have slowed, with the hot summer of 2003 also impacting negatively on many indoor attractions. Places of worship (-5%) showed a further decline in Table A.3 England visit trends by admission type (%) Admission Attractions Increase No change Decrease % 03/02 sample Free (721) Paid (1,304) England (2,027) Both free and paid attractions recorded a similar increase in visits in VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

6 KEY FINDINGS Table A.4 England visit trends by geographic location (%) Geographic location Attractions % 03/02 sample Coastal (211) +1 Rural (951) +6 Urban (865) -* England (2,027) +2 Rural attractions increased their visits by +6% in 2003, continuing the recovery of 2002 (+13%) after the decline observed in 2001 (-4%). Coastal attractions saw a slight increase while urban attractions saw a small decrease in visits. Table A.5 England visit trends by volume of visits (%) Volume of visits Attractions % 03/02 sample 20,000 or less (972) +2 20,001-50,000 (358) +4 50, ,000 (281) , ,000 (190) +4 Over 200,000 (226) +2 England (2,027) +2 Attractions in all size bands reported average increases in visits in 2003, as was the case in Attractions with 20,000 visits or less reported a slightly lower level of increase in visits (+2%), also repeating the pattern observed in Attractions with over 200,000 visits also recorded a lower level of increase (+2%), driven by declines in visits to some of the major national free museums and art galleries. Each of the other visit bands recorded similar levels of increase. VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

7 KEY FINDINGS Table A.6 Overall visits trends by English Government Office Region (%) Region Attractions % 03/02 sample North East (114) +16 North West (196) +3 Yorkshire/The Humber (156) +4 East Midlands (176) +7 West Midlands (165) +1 Eastern (307) +5 London (140) -2 South East (395) +2 South West (378) +1 England (2,027) +2 It should be noted that up to 2002, results were analysed by Regional Tourist Board areas. As the regional tourism organisations have been restructured within the Regional Development Agencies framework, the Government Office Regions (GOR), to which RDA areas correspond, are now being used for regional analysis. With the notable exception of London (-2%), which was affected by fewer overseas visitors in the first half of the year because of the Iraq War and concern over the SARS virus, and later by the summer heat, all GORs recorded an increase in visits in The North East (+16%) recorded the highest increase, continuing the trend from 2002 where a +18% increase was observed in the Northumbria RTB (also the highest increase). This followed the greatest decline within any region in 2001 (-12%). VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

8 KEY FINDINGS A.3 Overall trends in admission prices Table A.7 Adult admission prices (paid admission) by category (%) Category Attractions Average adult charge % 03/02 sample Country parks (12) Farms (42) Gardens (85) Historic houses/castles (327) Other historic properties (98) Leisure/theme parks (20) Museums/art galleries (233) Steam/heritage railways (35) Visitor/heritage centres (27) Wildlife attractions/zoos (62) Workplaces (22) Places of worship (8) Other (41) England (1,012) Average adult admission charge varied greatly amongst categories, ranging from 2.85 for places of worship to 9.22 for leisure/theme parks. Categories with the highest increases in adult admission charges in 2003 were farms (+8%), places of worship (+7%) and other historic properties (+7%). However, one should note the low base sizes for the calculations. Categories with the lowest increases in average adult admission charges were museums/art galleries (+2%), steam/heritage railways (+2%) and visitor/heritage centres (+4%). VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

9 KEY FINDINGS A.4 Overall trends in gross revenue Table A.8 Gross revenue trend by English GOR (%) Region Attractions Up Similar Down % 03/02 sample North East (102) North West (162) Yorkshire/The Humber (147) East Midlands (159) West Midlands (144) East (277) London (109) South East (346) South West (323) England (1,768) Overall just over half of English attractions (53%) reported an increase in gross revenue from visitors in Just over a quarter (28%) reported that gross revenue had been similar to that of 2002 and 18% reported a decrease. The average change reported in 2003 was +10%, very similar to that observed in 2002 (+11%), but a marked increase on that observed in 2001 (+1%). All regions saw an increase in gross revevenue in 2003, but London attractions least often reported such growth. Table A.9 Gross revenue trend by attraction category (%) Category Attractions Up Similar Down % 03/02 sample Country parks (68) Farms (75) Gardens (108) Historic houses/castles (312) Other historic properties (128) Leisure/theme parks (38) Museums/art galleries (565) Steam/heritage railways (51) Visitor/heritage centres (78) Wildlife attractions/zoos (87) Workplaces (110) Places of worship (56) Other (92) England (1,768) VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

10 KEY FINDINGS All attraction categories recorded increases in gross revenue in 2003 compared with However, there were significant variations across the categories (although not as variable as observed in 2002). Although base sizes were small, leisure/theme parks recorded both the highest average increase in gross revenue in 2003 (+18%) and the highest proportion of attractions recording an increase in gross revenue (76%). Country parks (+18%) and gardens (+15%) also recorded significant average increases in gross revenue. Farms also recorded a notable average increase in gross revenue (+15%), 73% of attractions recording an increase. Places of worship (+6%), museums/art galleries (+7%), historic houses/castles (+8%), steam/heritage railways (+8%) and other historic properties (+8%) recorded lower average increases in gross revenue. A.4 Marketing expenditure trend Table A.10 Movement in spend on marketing by attraction category (%) Category Sample Increase Similar Decrease Country parks (64) Farms (68) Gardens (98) Historic houses/castles (210) Other historic properties (84) Leisure/theme parks (36) Museums/art galleries (512) Steam/heritage railways (50) Visitor/heritage centres (69) Wildlife attractions/zoos (77) Workplaces (96) Places of worship (50) Other (83) England (1,497) Note: percentages read across 30% of attractions indicated an increase in marketing spend between 2002 and 2003 and only 11% a decrease. Wildlife attractions/zoos (44%), farms (41%), steam/heritage railways (40%), workplaces (39%) and gardens (39%) were most likely to state that their marketing expenditure had increased. Visitor/heritage centres (25%) were significantly more likely than any other attraction category to record a decrease in expenditure. VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

11 KEY FINDINGS Table A.11 Movement in spend on marketing by English GOR (%) Region Sample Increase Similar Decrease North East (75) North West (148) Yorkshire/The Humber (117) East Midlands (141) West Midlands (121) East (242) London (77) South East (300) South West (276) England (1,497) Note: percentages read across London recorded the lowest proportion of attractions stating an increase in marketing expenditure (17%). The North West had the highest proportion reporting an increase (37%). VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

12 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Visitor Attraction Trends England 2003 presents the findings of the Survey of Visits to Visitor Attractions undertaken in England by VisitBritain. The report provides a comprehensive England-wide analysis of trends plus visits data for individual attractions. Separate reports are produced by the national tourist organisations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales giving results for their own countries. Visitor Attraction Definition For the purpose of the survey, the definition of a visitor attraction is:..an attraction where it is feasible to charge admission for the sole purpose of sightseeing. The attraction must be a permanently established excursion destination, a primary purpose of which is to allow access for entertainment, interest, or education; rather than being primarily a retail outlet or a venue for sporting, theatrical, or film performances. It must be open to the public, without prior booking, for published periods each year, and should be capable of attracting day visitors or tourists as well as local residents. In addition, the attraction must be a single business, under a single management, so that it is capable of answering the economic questions on revenue, employment etc. As there are a number of attractions which are primarily retail outlets but have an attraction element, a set of guidelines have been included with the questionnaire since 2001 asking such attractions to take part only if they could provide data for the attraction element itself. This set of guidelines can be found in Appendix Research Objectives The purpose of the survey is to monitor trends in the visitor attraction sector throughout England and to improve understanding of the dynamics of the sector. The findings contribute to regional and national estimates of the economic impact of tourism and inform regional development and planning work. The results of the survey allow operators to benchmark their operation within their category, within their region and across the sector as a whole. VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

13 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 1.2 Survey Method The survey was carried out by means of a self-completion questionnaire mailed to all known English visitor attractions which met, as far as could be determined, the definition of a visitor attraction used in the survey. A copy of the questionnaire used can be found in Appendix 2. MEW Research currently holds the contract for the survey in England and is responsible for the preparation of this report. 1.3 Population, sample and response rate 4,876 English visitor attractions were invited to take part in the 2003 survey. Some 2,200 English visitor attractions provided visits figures for year 2003, an effective response rate of 45%. A further 353 attractions (7%) responded, of which 49 attractions indicated that they were closed in 2003 (32 temporarily, 17 permanently), 111 that they could not provide visit figures for lack of information, 81 that they did not consider themselves to meet the definition of an attraction and 112 that they did not wish to participate in the survey. Table 1.1 Response rate by attraction category Category Number of attractions Number of attractions that Effective response rate surveyed provided visits data Country Parks % Farms % Gardens % Historic Properties 1, % Leisure/Theme Parks % Museums/Art Galleries 1, % Steam/Heritage Railways % Visitor/Heritage Centres % Wildlife Attractions % Workplaces % Other % Total 4,876 2,200 45% VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

14 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND As was the case in 2002, historic properties (which accounted for 26% of total English attractions) had the highest response rate at 57%. Leisure/theme parks (29%), workplaces (30%) and wildlife attractions (32%) had the lowest response rates. Table 1.2 Methods used by visitor attractions to record visits Methods used to record data Attractions Sample (2,200) % Ticket or group bookings 49 Manual count 32 Mechanical or electronic 12 Estimate 10 Sample count 7 Other 5 Not stated 4 Almost all operators (96%) provided details on methods used to calculate visitor numbers. Some may have used more than one method, hence the total exceeds 100%. The most frequent methods used to record visits data were ticket sales/group bookings, followed by a manual count. VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

15 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 1.4 Guide to the tables Confidentiality Visits figures for individual attractions do not appear in this report if the attraction operator did not authorise them for publication. Data provided by operators who requested confidentiality is included in the aggregated calculations. 547 attractions requested that their visits figures remain confidential in Estimates If operators have stated their visits are estimates, this is clearly indicated in Section 6 with an E following the number of visits. Responding sample sizes In most of the tables, the number of attractions providing information is shown in brackets in the first column of figures under (Attractions sample). In tables relating to visits, the number of visits reported by responding attractions is shown instead under (Visits sample). The sample sizes vary between tables as the number of attractions responding to individual questions varied. Admission Tables in Section 6 include the charging status of each visitor attraction (in the column entitled Entry ). F indicates that admission to the main attraction is free of charge. However, it should be noted that some free attractions may charge for entry to particular parts of the attraction or special exhibitions. Where an attraction charges admission for the main attraction element, the adult admission price is noted. If it is not known, paid admission is indicated by P. Where Country Parks with free admission indicated that they wished to be classed as a paid attraction because the majority of their visitors arrive by car and there is a car park charge, this is indicated by CP. Symbols In the tables, an asterisk is used to indicate a percentage is less than 0.5%. A plus or minus sign indicates whether the value is positive or negative. VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

16 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Abbreviations Abbreviation Category Description CP Country Parks Country parks and forest parks F Farms Farms, rare breeds, shire horse centres and farm animals G Gardens Gardens, arboretums and botanical gardens HH Historic houses/castles Historic houses, historic houses and gardens, palaces, castles, forts OHP Other historic properties Historic monuments, archaeological sites, historic ships, windmills, watermills and other historic properties LTP Leisure/Theme Parks Leisure parks and theme parks MAG Museums/Art Galleries Museums and/or art galleries and science centres R Steam/Heritage Railways Steam railways and heritage railways VC Visitor/Heritage Centres Visitor centres and heritage centres WI Wildlife Attractions Nature reserves, wetlands, wildlife trips, safari parks, zoos, aquariums and aviaries WP Workplaces Distilleries, vineyards, breweries and industrial or craft premises WO Places of Worship Cathedrals, churches and other places of worship O Other Attractions that do not fit into any of the categories outlined above Abbreviation Government Office Region Counties/unitary authorities within region EAST Eastern Counties: Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk UAs: Luton, Peterborough, Southend-on-Sea, Thurrock EM East Midlands Counties: Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire UAs: Derby, Leicester, Nottingham, Rutland LON London All Greater London boroughs NE North East Counties: County Durham, Northumberland UAs: Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesborough, Redcar & Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees Former Met.: Tyne and Wear (Gateshead, Newcastle, N Tyneside, S Tyneside, Sunderland) NW North West Counties: Cheshire, Cumbria, Lancashire UAs: Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Halton, Warrington Former Met.: Greater Manchester (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan), Merseyside (Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens, Wirral) SE South East Counties: Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey, West Sussex UAs: Bracknell Forest, Brighton & Hove, Isle of Wight, Medway, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth, Reading, Slough, Southampton W. Berkshire, Windsor & Maidenhead, Wokingham SW South West Counties: Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire, Isles of Scilly UAs: Bath & NE Somerset, Bournemouth, Bristol, N Somerset, Plymouth, Poole, Swindon, Torbay, S Gloucestershire WM West Midlands Counties: Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire UAs: Herefordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford & Wrekin Former Met.: West Midlands (Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, Wolverhampton) Y&H Yorkshire/ The Humber Counties: North Yorkshire UAs: East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston-upon-Hull, NE Lincolnshire, N Lincolnshire, York Former Met.: South Yorkshire (Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield) West Yorkshire (Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield) VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

17 ENGLAND VISIT TRENDS ENGLAND VISIT TRENDS This chapter analyses trends in the number of visits to English attractions that provided data for both 2002 and ,027 out of the 4,876 English visitor attractions mailed in the survey provided visits figures for both 2002 and The 2,027 English visitor attractions that provided visits figures for both years reported an average increase of +2% in % indicated they had benefited from an increase while 34% reported a loss in visits. The rate of increase has slowed from that observed in 2002 (+8%), when attractions were recovering from the losses caused by the Foot & Mouth epidemic and September 11th (an overall decline of -2% was reported in 2001.) 2003 was the sunniest on record in England, beating the previous sunniest in It was also the 2 nd driest year since This tended to favour outdoor attractions over indoor attractions in England visit trends by attraction category Table 2.1 England visit trends by attraction category (%) Category Attractions Increase No change Decrease % 03/02 sample Country parks (87) Farms (70) Gardens (126) Historic houses/castles (392) Other historic properties (149) Leisure/theme parks (41) Museums/art galleries (657) Steam/heritage railways (52) Visitor/heritage centres (81) Wildlife attractions/zoos (95) Workplaces (108) Places of worship (75) Other (96) England (2,027) VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

18 ENGLAND VISIT TRENDS Farms continued their strong 2002 recovery to record a further increase in visits of +13% in % of farm operators reported an increase in visits. Country parks reported an average increase of +9% in Visitor/heritage centres, workplaces and gardens also showed strong growth with reported increases of +6% to +7% in Visits to historic houses/castles grew by +4%. Conversely, places of worship, other historic properties, and other attractions each recorded a decline in visits in The decline in visits to places of worship (-5%) continues the 2002 trend, when visits were down by 1%. Following an increase in 2002 (+10%), visits to museums/art galleries grew by only 1% in % of museums/art galleries reported a decline in visits in The initial positive impact of free admission to previously paid entry national museums and galleries appears to have slowed. The weather (in particular the hot summer) was mentioned as a negative factor by 41% of museums/art galleries. 2.2 England visit trends by admission type Table 2.2 England visit trends by admission type (%) Admission Attractions Increase No change Decrease % 03/02 sample Free (721) Paid (1,304) England (2,027) There was no difference between free and paid attractions in terms of average increases in visits (both +2%). Table 2.3 overleaf illustrates visit trends by free/paid admission within each category type. Historic houses/castles (-1% free, +4% paid), other historic properties (+6% free, -3% paid) and workplaces (+7% free, -2% paid) each recorded trend differences between free and paid attractions. However, one should beware of the small base sizes within each of the free sectors. VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

19 ENGLAND VISIT TRENDS Table 2.3 England visit trends by attraction category and admission type (%) Category Admission Attractions sample % 03/02 Country parks Free (66) +9 Paid (21) +8 Farms Free (13) +14 Paid (57) +13 Gardens Free (18) +3 Paid (108) +6 Historic houses/castles Free (27) -1 Paid (365) +4 Other historic properties Free (32) +6 Paid (117) -3 Leisure/theme parks Free (6) -* Paid (35) +4 Museums/art galleries Free (351) +1 Paid (305) +* Steam/heritage railways Free (2) n/a Paid (50) +3 Visitor/heritage centres Free (42) +6 Paid (39) +7 Wildlife attractions/zoos Free (14) +3 Paid (81) +* Workplaces Free (70) +7 Paid (35) -2 Places of worship Free (62) -6 Paid (13) -5 Other Free (18) -4 Paid (78) -2 England Free (721) +2 Paid (1,304) +2 n/a the figure has been suppressed because of the small base size in order to maintain operator confidentiality VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

20 ENGLAND VISIT TRENDS England visit trends by volume of visits to attractions Table 2.4 England visit trends by volume of visits (%) Volume of visits Attractions Increase No change Decrease % 03/02 sample 20,000 or less (972) ,001-50,000 (358) , ,000 (281) , ,000 (190) Over 200,000 (226) England (2,027) Attractions in all size bands reported average increases in visits in 2003, as was the case in Attractions with 20,000 visits or less reported a slightly lower level of increase in visits (+2%), also repeating the pattern observed in Attractions with over 200,000 visits also recorded a lower level of increase (+2%), driven by declines in visits to some of the key national free museums and art galleries. Each of the other visit bands recorded similar levels of increase. 2.4 England visit trends by geographic location Table 2.5 England visit trends by geographic location (%) Geographic location Attractions Increase No change Decrease % 03/02 sample Coastal (211) Rural (951) Urban (865) * England (2,027) Rural attractions (which suffered the most in 2001) continued their 2002 recovery from the effects of FMD in 2001, with an increase of +6% recorded in They benefited from the good weather (mentioned by 60%). Visits to coastal attractions increased by +1% in 2003, following a decline of 1% in Coastal attractions were more likely than other attractions to mention tourism/economic market changes (25%), particularly the improved domestic market (17%) and uncertainty about overseas travel (8%), as positive factors impacting upon visits. VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

21 ENGLAND VISIT TRENDS Conversely, urban attractions recorded a small decline in visits in 2003 (-*%), following an increase of +7% in These were more likely to blame tourism/economic market changes (32%) than other attractions, particularly a threat of terrorism (22%) as a reasons for decline among urban attractions. 2.5 England visit trends by proportion of overseas visits Table 2.6 England visit trends by proportion of overseas visits (%) Overseas visits Attractions Increase No change Decrease % 03/02 sample 30% or less (1,545) Over 30% (69) England (2,027) Although one should note the low base size for attractions with over 30% of visits by overseas visitors, visits to these attractions declined by an average of -3%. Half (51%) of these attractions recorded a decrease in visits. Many of the attractions with over 30% overseas visits are situated in and around London. As detailed in Section 3.1, London was the only region to suffer a decline in visits between 2002 and England visit trends by proportion of child visits Table 2.7 England visit trends by proportion of child visits (%) Child visits Attractions Increase No change Decrease % 03/02 sample 30% or less (1,115) Over 30% (536) England (2,027) There was a significant difference between attractions with more than 30% of visits made by children (+5% increase in visits) and those with 30% or fewer children (+2%). Again, the hot summer weather is likely to have had a positive impact upon the outdoor family-based attractions such as farms, country parks and leisure/theme parks. VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

22 ENGLAND VISIT TRENDS Factors affecting visits to attractions in 2003 Visitor attraction operators were asked to state which factors they believed had influenced visits to their attraction in 2003, whether positive or negative. In addition, they were asked to identify separately the most important factor (positive and negative). As a wide range of individual factors were mentioned, often by a small proportion, they have been grouped by type of response. A summary of the factor groupings is presented in the following section. Table 2.8 Positive factors influencing visits to attractions in 2003 Most important factor Factors receiving any mention Weather (32%) Weather (47%) Events/exhibitions improvement (16%) Events/exhibitions improvement (39%) Advertising/marketing (11%) Advertising/marketing (29%) Becoming better known/interested/area improving (10%) Becoming better known/interested/area improving (32%) Facility improvement/refurbishment/investment (8%) Facility improvement/refurbishment/investment (20%) Other site improvement (7%) Other site improvement (19%) Publicity/PR (7%) Publicity/PR (17%) Tourism/economic market changes (5%) Tourism/economic market changes (15%) Other (3%) Other (5%) The weather was the most frequently mentioned positive factor in 2003 (47%), with a third (32%) mentioning it as the most important positive factor. Country parks (78%), gardens (74%), farms (66%), wildlife attractions/zoos (63%) and historic properties (62%) were the most likely to mention the weather as a positive factor. Improvements in events/exhibitions (39%) were the second most frequently mentioned positive factor in 2003, although only 16% mentioned this as the most important positive factor. This was particularly likely to be mentioned by museums/art galleries (60%). The attraction becoming better known/interested/area improving was mentioned by 32% of attractions, with advertising/marketing being mentioned by 29%. Advertising/marketing encompasses any mention of new, more or better advertising or marketing, including all materials and promotion. Facility improvement/refurbishment/investment was mentioned by 20% of attractions and included any site refurbishments (10%), new, more or better facilities (4%), catering (3%), external investment (2%), transport (1%) and retail (1%). VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

23 ENGLAND VISIT TRENDS Tourism/economic market changes were mentioned by 15% of attractions. These included improved domestic tourism (7%), uncertainty about overseas travel (3%) and increased overseas visitors (2%). Table 2.9 Negative factors influencing visits to attractions in 2003 Most important factor Factors receiving any mention Weather (24%) Weather (41%) Facility decline/refurbishment/investment (19%) Facility decline/refurbishment/investment (40%) Tourism/economic market changes (18%) Tourism/economic market changes (29%) General visitor decline/competition/area declining (14%) General visitor decline/competition/area declining (31%) Advertising/marketing/PR (10%) Advertising/marketing/PR (22%) Other site decline (6%) Other site decline (16%) Events/exhibitions decline (5%) Events/exhibitions decline (12%) Other (2%) Other (6%) Whilst the weather was most likely to be mentioned as a positive factor it was also most likely to be mentioned as a negative factor (as in 2002). The weather was mentioned by 41% of attractions as a negative factor, with 24% mentioning the weather as the most important negative factor. 20% of attractions claimed specifically that the weather was too hot/people stayed at beaches. A further 18% made other mentions of the weather including both good and bad conditions, according to whether attractions are indoor or outdoor. Facility decline/refurbishment work/investment decline was mentioned by 40% of attractions. This included a wide range of factors, the most frequently mentioned of which were refurbishment/building works generally (7%), lack of parking (7%), access to the attraction (6%) and lack of external funding (6%). 31% of attractions mentioned a general visitor decline/competition/area declining. General competition (13%), lack of interest in that type of attraction (7%) and a poor location (7%) were most frequently mentioned. Tourism/economic market changes were mentioned by 29% of attractions. The threat of terrorism/world events/sept 11 (18%), a decrease in overseas visitors (12%), the exchange rate (5%) and SARS (4%) were most frequently mentioned. Advertising/marketing/PR was mentioned by 22% of attractions, including 12% who mentioned less/poorer advertising, 8% who mentioned signage/loss of brown signs and 5% less/poorer publicity. VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

24 ENGLISH GOVERNMENT OFFICE REGIONS VISIT TRENDS 3. ENGLISH GOVERNMENT OFFICE REGIONS VISIT TRENDS This chapter provides an analysis of trends by English Government Office Region (GOR). It is based on 2,027 attractions that provided visits figures for both 2002 and The trends in these tables should be treated with caution due to the smaller number of attractions when the data is broken down within region. It should also be noted that up to 2002 results were analysed by Regional Tourist Board areas. As the regional tourism organisations have been restructured within the Regional Development Agency framework, the Government Office Regions, to which RDA areas correspond, are now being used for regional analysis. 3.1 Visit trends by English Government Office Region Table 3.1 Overall visits trends by English GOR (%) Region Attractions Increase No change Decrease % 03/02 sample North East (114) North West (196) Yorkshire/The Humber (156) East Midlands (176) West Midlands (165) Eastern (307) London (140) South East (395) South West (378) England (2,027) With the notable exception of London (-2%), all GOR regions recorded an increase in visits in The North East (+16%) recorded the highest increase, continuing the trend from 2002 where a +18% increase was observed in the Northumbria RTB (also the highest increase). This followed the greatest decline within any region in 2001 (-12%). VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

25 ENGLISH GOVERNMENT OFFICE REGIONS VISIT TRENDS 41% of attractions in London recorded a decline in visits in 2003, higher than any other region. This followed an increase of +12% in 2002, the second highest increase of all regions. The initial positive impact on visits of the introduction of free entry to previously paid entry national museums and galleries at the end of 2001, many of which are located in London, appears to have slowed. Record temperatures of over 37C in London in August would also have affected demand. In the first half of the year the war in Iraq and concern over the SARS virus affected the overseas visitor market. 3.2 Visit trends by attraction category by English GOR The trends in this table should be treated with particular caution since these are based in many regions on very small samples of attractions providing visits data in both 2002 and Table 3.2 Visits trends by English GOR by attraction category (%) Category Att. sample England NE NW Y&H EM WM EAST LON SE SW Att. Sample (2,038) (114) (198) (155) (177) (167) (307) (140) (397) (383) CP (87) F (70) G (126) HH (392) OHP (149) LTP (41) * n/a -3-3 MAG (657) * * R (52) n/a VC (81) * WI (95) * WP (106) +6 +* * WO (75) * O (96) * England (2,027) The increase in visits in the North East was driven not only by a +38% increase in farm visits but also a +14% increase in visits to museums/art galleries (the highest increase in any region) and +15% increase in visits to historic houses/castles (also the highest in any region). The overall average for visits to museums/art galleries was affected by the trend in London, whose decline of 2% outweighed increases in visits to museums/art galleries within all other areas except Yorkshire and the Humber (-1%). VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

26 ENGLISH GOVERNMENT OFFICE REGIONS VISIT TRENDS There were significant increases in visits to farms in all areas except London (-9%). London also encountered declines in visits within the historic houses, wildlife attractions/zoos, workplaces, places of worship and other attractions sectors. Visits to places of worship declined in all regions except the North East, North West and Yorkshire and The Humber. 3.3 Visit trends by admission type by English GOR Table 3.3 Visits trends by English GOR by admission type (%) Admission Att. sample England NE NW Y&H EM WM EAST LON SE SW Att. Sample (2,038) (114) (198) (155) (177) (167) (307) (140) (397) (383) Free (721) Paid (1,304) England (2,027) There were some significant differences between free and paid attractions within each GOR in terms of visit trends. Within the North East, visits to paid attractions increased more significantly (+22%) than free attractions (+10%). This was also the situation in the West Midlands where paid attractions increased by +4% whilst free attractions declined by 2%. Conversely, in Yorkshire/The Humber, free attractions increased their visits by an average of +8% whereas paid attractions increased by only +1%. 3.4 Visit trends by volume of visits by English GOR Table 3.4 Visits trends by English GOR by volume of visits (%) Volume Att. sample England NE NW Y&H EM WM EAST LON SE SW Att. Sample (2,038) (114) (198) (155) (177) (167) (307) (140) (397) (383) 20,000 or less (972) * 20,001-50,000 (358) , ,000 (281) , ,000 (190) * Over 200,000 (226) * * England (2,027) VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

27 ENGLISH GOVERNMENT OFFICE REGIONS VISIT TRENDS The decline in visits among London attractions was driven primarily by the larger attractions whose visits number 50,000 or more. This reflects the declines in visits to some of the national free museums. Visits to London attractions with less than 20,000 visits increased by +5%. In the majority of other regions, attractions with over 20,000 visits increased their visits in Only in the South West was there a decline among attractions with 100, ,000 visits (-3%). The majority of other declines were among attractions with less than 20,000 visits in the North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber and South West. 3.5 Visit trends by geographic location by English GOR Table 3.5 Visits trends by English GOR by geographic location (%) Location Att. sample England NE NW Y&H EM WM EAST LON SE SW Att. Sample (2,038) (114) (198) (155) (177) (167) (307) (140) (397) (383) Coastal (211) n/a -* n/a Rural (951) n/a Urban (865) -* England (2,027) As was the case in 2002, rural attractions enjoyed increases in visits in 2003 in all regions, particularly the North East (+14%), North West (+12%) and Yorkshire and the Humber (+9%). Coastal attractions also recorded increases in all regions except the North West (-4%) and East (-*%). Whilst visits to urban attractions declined slightly overall, this was driven primarily by the southern regions of the South West (-4%), London (-2%), South East (-3%) and East (-1%). VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

28 ADULT ADMISSION PRICE TRENDS ADULT ADMISSION PRICE TRENDS Just over three fifths of English attractions (63%) charged entry to the main attraction in Some 1,012 attractions that were paid admission in both 2002 and 2003 provided admission charges in both years. The average adult admission charge rose by 20p in 2003, an increase of 5%. This was the same as the increase observed in 2002 (also an increase of 20p, 5%). 4.1 Adult admission prices by English GOR Table 4.1 shows the percentage change in average adult admission charge between 2002 and 2003 within each Government Office Region. Table 4.1 Adult admission prices (paid admission attractions) by GOR (%) Region Attractions Average adult charge % 03/02 sample North East (49) North West (84) Yorkshire/The Humber (78) East Midlands (85) West Midlands (81) Eastern (127) London (50) South East (225) South West (233) England (1,012) Average increases in admission prices were similar across all regions, although there were minor differences. The highest increase was in London at +7% where average adult charges rose by 38p from 5.16 in 2002 to 5.54 in Adult admission prices were significantly higher in London than any other region. The smallest increases in adult admission charges were in the North West (11p or 3%), North East (13p or 4%), South West (16p or 4%) and West Midlands (19p or 4%). VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

29 ADULT ADMISSION PRICE TRENDS Adult admission prices by volume of visits Table 4.2 Adult admission prices (paid admission attractions) by visits (%) Volume of visits Attractions Average adult charge % 03/02 sample ,000 or less (464) ,001-50,000 (191) , ,000 (159) , ,000 (106) Over 200,000 (92) England (1,012) Attractions with higher visitor admissions tended to record higher average adult admission charges. Whereas the average adult admission charge in 2003 was 2.83 among attractions with 20,000 or fewer visits, among attractions with over 200,000 visits average adult admission was Increases in average adult admission charges were also highest among the 200,000 visits or over category (which were more often found in London), increasing by 50p (7%) from 7.38 to Adult admission prices by attraction category Table 4.3 Adult admission prices (paid admission) by category (%) Category Attractions Average adult charge % 03/02 sample Country parks (12) Farms (42) Gardens (85) Historic houses/castles (327) Other historic properties (98) Leisure/theme parks (20) Museums/art galleries (233) Steam/heritage railways (35) Visitor/heritage centres (27) Wildlife attractions/zoos (62) Workplaces (22) Places of worship (8) Other (41) England (1,012) VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

30 ADULT ADMISSION PRICE TRENDS Average adult admission charge varied greatly amongst categories, ranging from 2.85 for places of worship to 9.22 for leisure/theme parks. Categories with the highest increases in adult admission charges in 2003 were farms (+8%), places of worship (+7%) and other historic properties (+7%). However, one should note the low base sizes for the calculations. Categories with the lowest increases in average adult admission charges were museums/art galleries (+2%), steam/heritage railways (+2%) and visitor/heritage centres (+4%). 4.4 Adult admission prices by geographic location Table 4.4 Adult admission prices (paid adm.) by geographic location (%) Location Attractions Average adult charge % 03/02 sample Coastal (129) Rural (534) Urban (349) England (1,012) Rural attractions tended to record the highest average adult admission prices in 2003 ( 4.51), higher than both urban ( 3.99) and coastal ( 3.58) attractions. However, urban attractions recorded the highest increases in average adult admission prices, up by 21p in 2003, an increase of 6% on Adult admission prices by proportion of overseas visits Table 4.5 Adult admission prices (paid admission) by overseas visits (%) Overseas visits Attractions Average adult charge % 03/02 sample % or less (759) Over 30% (29) England (1,012) Although base sizes are small, attractions with over 30% of visits from overseas recorded a greater increase in average adult admission prices in 2003 (+10%) than attractions with 30% or fewer overseas visits (+5%). This reflects the high proportion of attractions with 30% or more overseas visitors that are in London whose attractions increased their admission price by more than any other region in 2003 (+7%). VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND

31 ADULT ADMISSION PRICE TRENDS Adult admission prices by proportion of child visits Table 4.6 Adult admission prices (paid admission) by child visits (%) Child visits Attractions Average adult charge % 03/02 sample % or less (581) Over 30% (249) England (1,012) Attractions with over 30% of visits by children recorded higher average adult admission prices ( 4.48) than those with 30% or fewer child visits ( 3.83) in These attractions also recorded a slightly greater increase in average adult admission prices in 2003 (+6%) than attractions with 30% or fewer child visits (+5%). VISITOR ATTRACTION TRENDS ENGLAND