MUSEUM visitor numbers across Scotland have soared, with East Lothian’s Museum of Flight seeing an increase of almost 70 per cent in entrants following the arrival of Concorde.
Despite the supersonic aircraft still requiring restoration work, thousands of extra visitors have been flocking to the museum near Haddington, where it has been displayed following public demand.
It has proved to be a good move for the museum, w
hich had planned to keep Concorde under wraps until the work to re-attach its wings and tailfin was completed in August or September.
The East Fortune museum has doubled its staff since last year in an attempt to meet demand.
The National Museums of Scotland (NMS) also saw record visitor numbers at all its sites across the country, with a 28 per cent increase on last year.
The Royal Museum and Museum of Scotland in Chambers Street welcomed 85,000 visitors in April, nearly 30 per cent up on 2003.
The National War Museum of Scotland at Edinburgh Castle and the Museum of Scottish Country Life, near East Kilbride, saw increases of 2 per cent and 7 per cent respectively during April.
Alastair Dodds, the NMS transport curator, said it expected even more crowds at the Museum of Flight when tours inside the 100-seater Concorde begin next year.
"We knew there would be a huge draw to see Concorde, but we didn’t know quite how many to expect, so a 68 per cent increase is very pleasing.
"It makes the tremendous effort to transport Concorde to East Fortune very worthwhile, as it was the most complicated move in the UK. The reason it was so difficult was because of her length, at 180ft long it was an incredible feat to bring her from London. It cost almost £1 million to transport Concorde here, but East Lothian’s economy should be offset with the income she will bring through sightseeing visits."
He added that seven engineers would begin work on Concorde next month.
Edinburgh’s Deputy Lord Provost, Steve Cardownie, said the city’s museums had become more upbeat. "Museums are not the stuffy, conservative places they used to be in the past. They are brighter and much more innovative places to be, where visitors can go to learn a great deal," he said.
"I also think the fact that museum charges have been abandoned has started to permeate through to people, so they are willing to go more frequently.
"You can’t charge people to see artefacts from their own heritage; it belongs to everyone."
Catherine Holden, the NMS director of marketing and development, said the current popular exhibition "Cats" at the Royal Museum, combined with a diverse learning programme, family Easter workshops and evening lectures during the science festival contributed to the recent success.
"These increased visitor numbers show the benefits of putting the new NMS vision and plans into action," she said. "The vision is supported by a new marketing strategy and a suite of promotional material, creating a much more engaging means of promoting each of our sites."
On 19 April alone, 2,500 people flocked to East Fortune to see Concorde arrive on site. The NMS Concorde website received in excess of 400,000 virtual visits during the month. An Edinburgh and Lothians Tourist Board spokeswoman said: "We anticipated that the arrival would be a boost for tourism in East Lothian, but these figures are superb and the Concorde exhibition hasn’t even been launched yet.
"The National Museums of Scotland consistently offer visitors something different each time they go, which is a very successful strategy. These figures demonstrate just how successful their most recent programme has been."
