Leading museums enjoy record year as Britons holiday at home

The York Museums Trust revealed yesterday that it had achieved major successes in boosting the number of visitors at its four attractions across the city.

York Art Gallery, York Castle Museum, the Yorkshire Museum and York St Mary's all saw rises in visitor numbers in the last financial year compared with the previous 12 months. They had a combined total of more than half a million visitors.

The Castle Museum alone saw more than 290,000 visitors from April 2009 to April 2010 – up nine per cent on the previous year – while the Yorkshire Museum recorded an increase of 33 per cent.

The museums trust's commercial director, Michael Woodward, said: "We are extremely proud of the achievements and a lot of work has gone in to trying to raise the profile of our attractions.

"The recession has actually helped, as more people decided to holiday in Britain rather than travel overseas.

"But we have also continued with a major programme of investment in both the actual venues as well as a marketing campaign.

"The tourism market is extremely competitive and we have to make sure that we can compete effectively with rival venues. And while we have achieved a record year for visitor numbers, we cannot rest on our laurels."

The official figures have shown that York Art Gallery recorded a four per cent increase with 167,000 visitors during the last financial year. York St Mary's had 30,000 visitors when it was open from March until November, again up four per cent compared to the previous year.

The Yorkshire Museum recorded 44,000 visitors from April 2009 to November 2009, up 33 per cent compared with the same period in 2008.

In total, more than 530,000 York residents and tourists visited the venues during the last financial year.

The statistics have also included visitor numbers for the city's Museum Gardens, which is now being treated as an attraction in its own right by the trust.

An estimated 1.3 million people went to the gardens, meaning the attractions run by York Museums Trust serve the most visitors in the city – about 1.8 million.

The trust is doubling its advertising budget this year to build on the successes achieved with the advent of the "staycation", and it has also been overseeing a range of major investments in its attractions.

The Yorkshire Post revealed last month that a scheme was being drawn up to transform the ground floor of the Castle Museum.

The 200,000 project will redevelop the entrance area and is aimed at promoting the museum as a cafe and tea room by capitalising on the stunning views across the Eye of York and Clifford's Tower opposite.

The project is the latest to be undertaken at the Castle Museum, with other redevelopments including an overhaul of the venue's replica Victorian street attraction, Kirkgate.

A separate scheme was unveiled last summer to give visitors more of an insight into secrets of the building's infamous cells, where highwayman Dick Turpin spent his final hours before he was hanged in the city in 1739.

The York Museums Trust has spent more than 4m during the last five years to update its attractions.

The biggest project which the trust has undertaken is currently under way at the Yorkshire Museum, which is undergoing a 2m redevelopment and is due to open again on August 1.