Tourism hit by Olympics and weather

WET weather and the Olympics have been blamed for keeping tourists away from several of Scotland’s attractions this summer, although many visitors sheltered from the rain in museums, driving up numbers and spending.

The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva) said visits to heritage venues and gardens in Scotland were down around 10 per cent but museums enjoyed a 16.3 per cent boost – the only UK attractions to benefit from an increase in visitor numbers this summer.

Scottish museums and galleries also benefited from a 30.5 per cent increase in retail spending.

Tourist attractions in London such as St Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London were worst hit, with gardens and other heritage sites having the worst year since the foot-and-mouth animal disease crisis in 2001. Visitors to Alva’s members in London fell 15 per cent during May through August, which also took a toll on catering and retail sales.

Bernard Donoghue, chief executive of Alva said: “It is our belief that for gardens and outdoor attractions across the UK, the appalling weather during much of the year has led to one of the worse trading periods since 2001 and foot-and-mouth.”

Alva represents 43 members which manage 2,000 tourist sites across Britain which typically attract more than 100 million visitors each year.