Do you prefer art galleries or museums?
When you go on a day out with your family, do you go to art galleries or museums?Figures released by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) show that while some museums around the UK have seen an increase in visitor numbers over the years, some art galleries are seeing a decline.
The Tate galleries (including the Tate Britain, Modern and Liverpool) have lost 2.7 million visitors in five years.A lot of this can be attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic, when they had to shut, and the boss of the Tate said it's also due in large part to a fall in international visitors.
However museums seem to be having a better time of getting visitor numbers back up to pre-pandemic levels.Visitor numbers to the National Gallery are down 47% against 2019 levels, but the Natural History Museum's visitor numbers are 16% above 2019.The National Museum of Scotland has had a 6% increase in visitors since last year and the Young Victoria and Albert Museum in London had a whopping 47% more visitors in 2024 than in 2023.
It's not all bad news for galleries, though. The National Galleries Scotland had a 9% increase in visitors between 2023 and 2024.So what do you think - do you like wandering around art galleries or museums better? Maybe you don't like either, or you have a favourite - we want to know your thoughts, so let us know in the comments.
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