Bristol Museums Top In Visit England Poll

Put your South West England tourism hat on and consider just for the moment what sort of attractions would be on your “must see” list. Well for a start you can’t pass through Wiltshire without a quick peek at Stonehenge, with its soon to be opened visitor centre, and then of course Cornwall offers such luminaries as the Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligon.

The Roman and Georgian magnificence of Bath is undeniable, and the twin National Parks of Dartmoor and Exmoor undoubtedly have their supporters.

Bristol's M Shed is a top South West attraction

But Bristol tourism chiefs are indulging in a well deserved round of back patting as a result of figures released by Visit England which shows that the public museums of Bristol came out top in terms of visitor numbers over the last twelve month period.

With visitor numbers in excess of one million, the museums and galleries were ahead of the aforementioned Stonehenge; The Eden Project; Roman Bath and even popular Brean Leisure Park in Somerset. The cast list of Bristol attractions includes Bristol Museum and Art Gallery in Clifton, the recently opened M shed, Blaise Castle House Museum, The Georgian House Museum, Kings Weston Roman Villa, The Red Lodge Museum and Bristol’s Record Office. Not content with this success in topping the overall list, Bristol’s museums were the most visited free attractions in the whole of the South West including Devon and Cornwall.

“We are delighted with these figures,” said Julie Finch, head of Bristol Museums, Galleries and Archives. “It makes me and the museum team very proud. We had an increase of 25 per cent in visitor figures in 2012 compared to 2011. These figures show people just love to visit us, perhaps it’s because we go that extra mile to welcome visitors and show off Bristol’s treasures”

She added “Bristol Museum and Art Gallery and M shed can both boast internationally-acclaimed collections, outstanding exhibitions, amazing displays and unique, exquisite arti- facts. We have a busy calendar of events, talks and activities as well as a first-class schools’ learning programme. Our museum shops and cafés offer visitors the chance to relax and discover more about Bristol and the wider world.

“And while we are certainly celebrating being the South West’s number one attraction, we know that such accolades come because of a lot of hard work, commitment and dedication from staff, volunteers, Friends, business sponsors and funders. So a big thank you to everyone who has helped to make our museums, galleries and archives the number one most visited tourist attraction in the South West.”

Bristol has become a major player in the tourism market and enjoyed one of the sensations of the tourism year just gone by, with the Gromit Unleashed trail which during the summer saw more people flocking to the city to see them.

The city is the most popular destination in the South West and the trade is worth around £200 million to the local economy.

                                                                    Bristol Tourism