2 million visitors for revamped National Museum of Scotland

TWO million visitors have now visited the new-look National Museum of Scotland since a £47 million revamp was unveiled last summer.The award-winning transformation of the former Royal Museum building has already seen the Edinburgh attraction become the most popular in the country.

• National Museum of Scotland has seen two million visitors since revamps last year, doubling original estimates

• Fascinating Mummies exhibition has been cited as major draw

Bosses insist they were only expecting around a million visitors in the first year of reopening following the revamp, which saw the creation of new underground entrances, extra galleries and major exhibition spaces.

Around 80 per cent of exhibits currently on show are on public display for the first time.

Major draws have included the ongoing “Fascinating Mummies” exhibition of Egyptian treasures, while a further boost is expected over the summer when the museum plays host to a new exhibition devoted to “Catherine the Great.”

Research has also found that one in three visitors to Edinburgh went to the museum between its reopening at the end of July and Hogmanay.

Dr Gordon Rintoul, director of the museum, said: “It is amazing that a number equivalent to four times the population of Edinburgh has visited us in just over 10 months.

“The popularity of the museum underlines not just the quality of the experience we have created, but also its appeal to a wide audience from both Scotland and internationally.

“We find that people are coming from far and wide and returning again and again to revisit favourite galleries or take part in our innovative programme of events.”

Culture secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “With fascinating collections showcased in magnificent, award-winning surroundings, the National Museum of Scotland is undoubtedly one of the jewels in Scotland’s cultural crown. It has become firmly established as a world-class, must-see destination since its spectacular transformation.”