Today, March 17, 2023, the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) released the visitor figures of its members for 2022, revealing that the Natural History Museum experienced a 196% increase in attendance with 4,654,608 visitors in 2022, making it the most popular indoor attraction in the UK.
Director of the museum Doug Gurr exclaims, “We are happy to be the most popular indoor attraction in the United Kingdom for the second consecutive year. It is a testament to our innovative and inspiring public programme of events and exhibitions, such as Our Broken Planet: How We Got Here and Ways to Fix It, Dippy Returns, and Wildlife Photographer of the Year, as well as the dedication of our Visitor Experience team, who work tirelessly to ensure that visitors have a fantastic day out.”
The Museum continues to attract a large number of visitors in 2023 and is on target to surpass 5 million for the fiscal year.
Director of Public Programmes Alex Burch adds, “Visitors to Titanosaur: Life as the Largest Dinosaur, which opens later this month, will have the chance to come face to face with one of the biggest known beasts to ever inhabit the planet. We are devoted to making nature and science accessible to everybody and to maintaining close relationships with our local communities. We will expand on our outreach efforts, which included 1,500 local children and youth in a variety of activities such as our winter community space, career inspiration events, and skill-building projects last year.
Numbers of Natural History Museum visitors
Last year, the Natural History Museum attracted 4,654,608 people, making it the most popular indoor attraction in the United Kingdom.
With 139,798 visitors, October half-term (w/c 24 October) was the biggest week of 2022.
About a million individuals took advantage of the opportunity to watch the nation’s favorite dinosaur in Dippy Returns (1,060,813)
The critically praised free exhibit at the Museum
In 2022, 820,820 visitors viewed the Our Broken Planet: How We Got Here and How to Repair It exhibit, which engages visitors with the global emergency (1.2 million visitors for its full run)
The world-renowned photography exhibition Wildlife Photographer of the Year attracted 148,671 visitors to the museum.
Visit Notable Events for 2023
Entrance to the Natural History Museum is free. At nhm.ac.uk, visitors may arrange a timed entrance session.
Exhibitions
With its new blockbuster exhibition Titanosaur: Life as the Largest Dinosaur, which opens on March 31, visitors will be able to step into the world of the giant dinosaur Patagotitan mayorum, one of the largest known creatures to have ever walked the earth. This giant titanosaur, making its European premiere, is almost four times heavier than Dippy the Diplodocus and twelve metres longer than Hope, the Museum’s famed blue whale, and will be the focal point of a fun and interactive family show.
The Museum’s series of free art installations continues on May 26 with the opening of Gregor Sailer: The Arctic Silk Road. In his first exhibition in the United Kingdom, renowned Austrian artist and photographer Gregor Sailer presents 67 photographs of artificial buildings photographed in four Arctic nations. In this thought-provoking installation, Gregor documents the changes caused by climate change and the melting of ice across the Arctic, which is creating shorter sea routes in an area that is becoming known as the “Polar Silk Road” and offering new opportunities for exploitation, research, trade, and access to new raw material deposits.
In October, the Museum’s perennially popular Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition will include 100 of the year’s most spectacular photographs.
Events
Generation Hope: Act for the Earth is a free program of invigorating workshops, panels, and presentations designed in collaboration with 16-plus-year-olds. From the 20th to the 25th of March, Generation Hope’s lineup of speakers and interactive panels will address critical topics affecting young people today, such as eco-anxiety, recognizing the implications of the planetary emergency, and skills training. The event will also feature a keynote presentation and question-and-answer session with the Museum’s new chair, Sir Patrick Vallance, regarding climate change solutions.
During the year, the Museum hosts popular tourist activities such as Dino Snores for Kids, Dino Snores for Adults, Silent Discos, Yoga at the Museum, Adventure Babies, Behind-the-Scenes Spirit Collection Tour, and Out-of-Hours Dino Tours.
Tai Chi under Hope the Blue Whale and our Out of Hours Titano Tours, which include unique admission to the Titanosaur: Life as the Largest Dinosaur exhibition and the world-famous Dinosaur gallery, are among the new attractions for 2023. With the Beyond The Lens Tours, fans of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition will receive a private tour of the exhibition and learn the tales and details that were left out of the captions.
The ever-popular Dawnosaurs: Relaxing Morning Visits continue, allowing youngsters with neurodiverse disorders (such as autism and other sensory processing challenges) to experience the Museum with their families, away from the general audience.
The Museum provides a number of Deaf-led Behind-the-Scenes Tours: Spirit Collection throughout the year. The award-winning Women in Science tours shed light on marginalized and historically underrepresented voices, highlighting their fascinating stories, inspiring achievements, and contributions to natural history.
Ends
Contact
Contact information for Natural History media: 0779 969 0151; [email protected]
Remarks to Editors
About the Museum of Natural History
The Natural History Museum is both the most popular indoor attraction in the United Kingdom and a world-class science research facility. With a vision of a future in which both people and the earth thrive, it is ideally positioned to be a strong advocate for balancing the demands of mankind with those of the natural world.
It is the keeper of one of the world’s most significant scientific collections, with over 80 million specimens that have been accessible by researchers from all around the world both in person and through the download of over 30 billion digital data files to date. 350 scientists at the Museum are searching for answers to the planetary crisis, from biodiversity loss to the sustainable utilization of natural resources.
The Museum leverages its global reach and influence to fulfill its objective of creating champions for the planet by informing, inspiring, and empowering all individuals to make a difference for the environment. Our website had 17 million hits in the past year, and about 20 million people have viewed our traveling exhibitions over the past decade.