Galleries a picture of health thanks to Link

National Galleries of Scotland chiefs last month recorded a 24 per cent year-on-year increase in visitors flocking to their main attractions on The Mound.

The massive rise is being put down to the unveiling of the underground Weston Link between the National Gallery of Scotland and the Royal Scottish Academy.

More than 180,000 people flocked to the two galleries following completion of the final phase of the 30 million Playfair project on August 5.

The National Museums of Scotland also revealed a massive surge in visitor numbers as it emerged that more than 100,000 people had visited the Royal Museum and the Museum of Scotland during August.

The figure - around a third higher than for the equivalent period last year - is thought to have been boosted by the bad weather last month, along with special events such as a two-week long computer games festival, which used the Royal Museum as one of its main venues.

NGS officials said 188,442 people had visited the National Gallery, Royal Scottish Academy and the Weston Link in August, compared to 151,719 who visited the galleries in August 2003, when the RSA hosted the blockbuster Monet exhibition.

This year’s rise has been recorded despite the RSA’s Titian exhibition attracting 30,107 visitors during August compared to the 57,758 pulled in by the Monet collection over the same period last year.

Michael Clarke, director of the Playfair project, said: "The newly-opened Weston Link has not only provided Edinburgh with one of the finest visual arts complexes in Europe, it has contributed to a rise of 24 per cent in visitors to the galleries on The Mound.

"We’re delighted that The Age of Titian has been so well received. Feedback from members of the public and critics has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic."

Among the facilities at the new Weston Link are a cafe, bar and restaurant, a 200-seater lecture theatre and cinema, and a shop.

Edinburgh Lord Provost Lesley Hinds said: "The whole complex on The Mound is visually stunning and judging by the number of people who have already visited, it’s a huge hit with the public."

Last year’s warm summer weather saw record numbers flock to Edinburgh Zoo and the Royal Botanic Garden.

But it was also thought to have adversely affected the two national museums, which saw visitor numbers slump ten per cent from the previous year.

However, a museums spokeswoman revealed that during August this year the Royal Museum and Museum of Scotland attracted 106,003 between them - compared with 79,873 visitors during August last year.

Although the Royal Museum’s display of Treasures From Tuscany failed to match the success of last year’s Dino-Birds exhibition - attracting 5284 compared to 5844 last year - the Edinburgh International Games Festival saw 6700 visitors flock to the museum.

Officials also admitted that the rainy weather played its part in this summer’s success.

The figures for the leading visitor attractions have emerged in the wake of the city’s main festivals reporting record box office figures last month.

Fringe figures were around six per cent up on last year, the Book Festival reported attendance figures up 12 per cent and the Film Festival’s box office receipts were up eight per cent.

Experts believe that while the adverse weather cut the number of people watching street theatre areas on the High Street and The Mound, it may actually have benefited many festivals, especially with the number of tickets sold in advance and online.

A spokeswoman for Edinburgh and Lothians Tourist Board said: "An increase of this scale on the record-breaking summer of last year is an achievement indeed for the National Galleries.

"The National Museums of Scotland has been showing consistent increases in visitor numbers which is testament to their hard work in maintaining their appeal to a wide audience."