Upgraded museum expected to make £40m a year for city

THE NEWLY revamped National Museum of Scotland is expected to attract almost 200,000 extra visitors and £40 million to the Capital each year, it emerged today.

The museum on Chambers Street, which is due to fully reopen to the public following a 46.4m refurbishment on July 29, will also generate an additional 10m per year to the Scottish economy.

Prior to part of the museum closing for redevelopment in 2008, it welcomed around 830,000 visitors per year, and that is expected to soar to more than one million.

Director of National Museums Scotland, Dr Gordon Rintoul, said: "A great Capital deserves a great museum, and from 29 July ours will be even better. We will be bringing top-class international exhibitions to our larger space, and expanded facilities for events and conferencing will support business tourism.

"Independent analysis shows that the fully reopened museum will generate around 39 million per year for the city's economy."

Dr Rintoul added: "The new museum will be a major asset for tourism, and we expect to welcome well over a million visitors per year."

The redevelopment has included creating a new street-level entrance hall, two new restaurants, new shops and other public facilities. There will also be new glass lifts, escalators and staircases, which will make moving around the building far easier for visitors. The original Victorian interior of the building has also been comprehensively restored.

A three-storey learning centre has been created to enable a major expansion of programmes for schools and the public, while a larger special exhibitions gallery will allow a programme of major international touring exhibitions to come to Scotland.

Staff have already started the huge task of installing almost 8,000 objects into 16 new galleries.

Chief executive of Destination Edinburgh Marketing Alliance, Kenneth Wardrop, said: "The reopening of the museum is not only big news for the reputation of Edinburgh, its refurbishment also holds real economic value that's extremely positive for the city as a whole.

"We know from a recent survey that 26 per cent of people who come to Scotland's Capital are drawn here by our visitor attractions, and the new National Museum will strengthen this yet further - great news for hoteliers, retailers and all who benefit from Edinburgh's status as a top visit destination."