More than 1.3 million people visited The Roman Baths & Pump Room in 2017, a record number putting the historic site in the top 25 attractions in the UK.
Visitor numbers increased by more than 100,000, with 1,318,976 people visiting in 2017 compared to 1,216,938 in 2016.
This includes daytime visitors to The Roman Baths and restaurant customers in The Pump Room.
The Roman Baths & Pump Room moved up three places to become the 23rd most-visited attraction in the UK, according to figures just released by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA).
The Roman Baths was the 9th most visited charging attraction in the UK, and the second most-visited attraction in the South West, after Stonehenge. And the historic sites’ growth in visitor numbers of 8.4per cent was above the UK average of 7.3 per cent.
Councillor Paul Myers (Conservative, Midsomer Norton Redfield), Cabinet Member for Economic and Community Regeneration, said: “We are delighted that The Roman Baths has achieved record visitor numbers for the fourth year in a row, thanks to the outstanding customer service provided by its staff, and ongoing improvements to the visitor experience.
“Last year the East Baths area was revamped to include the latest modern interpretation. Work is now starting on the Archway Project, which will provide the new Roman Baths ‘Clore Learning Centre’ and a World Heritage Visitor Centre. The project will also open up new areas of The Roman Baths to its visitors.”
Domestic visitors remained the largest market for The Roman Baths, with 62% of visitors coming from the UK. This was supported by Roman Baths marketing in London and South West England.
Following specialist marketing and sales campaigns in China, the number of Mandarin-speaking visitors continued to increase with a record-breaking 108,000 visitors selecting Mandarin audioguides in 2017.
