Edinburgh Castle has welcomed over 1.4 million visitors for the first time in its history.
The figures were released today by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) which comprises over 200 of the UK’s top attractions – including The Victoria and Albert Museum and the Tower of London – whose members release their visitor figures annually.
The castle, which is run by Historic Scotland, saw 1,420,027 visitors go through its doors in 2013, a 15% increase on the previous year.
The castle was the number one paid-for visitor attraction in Scotland last year and the most visited paid-for UK attraction outside London.
The figures come on the back of a successful year for the castle which was named ‘Best UK Heritage Attraction’ at the British Travel Awards for the third year in a row and saw record-breaking summer visitor figures.
An increase in visitor numbers was also recorded at Historic Scotland’s other top-three properties, Stirling Castle (up 2% to 411,726) and Urquhart Castle (up 5% to 310,446).
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs said: “Edinburgh Castle continues to captivate visitors from around the world and I am delighted that it has welcomed more than 1.4m visitors for the first time, which is a significant milestone.
“Scotland’s heritage sector continues to play an important role, supporting 60,000 jobs, contributing over £2bn to our economy and continuing to enthral visitors from home and abroad.”
Stephen Duncan, Director of Commercial and Tourism for Historic Scotland, which runs the castle and 77 other heritage attractions across the country said: “2013 was a fantastic year for our sites – with record-breaking figures, membership at an all-time high and Edinburgh Castle breaking the 1.4 million visitor mark for the first time.
“In terms of trends, we had anticipated an increase in travel trade numbers this year after a flattening-out of numbers in 2012; however the increase has exceeded all expectations. We are also benefitting from an increase in visitors from China and the emerging markets.
“Alongside this, we have seen the benefits of investment in our e-commerce offering, with tickets for 66 of our sites now available to purchase online, providing greater flexibility for visitors.
“Meanwhile our award winning events programme, which commences next month, continues to bring history to life and will form a key part of this year’s Homecoming activity.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
Loved my visit to Edinburgh Castle, learning the history of the castle and seeing the Stone of Destiny and the famous 15th century gun Mons Meg was a highlight.
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