The number of visitors to The Roman Baths & Pump Room has leapt to record numbers, passing 1.3m for the first time last year and lifting it three places in the table of the UK’s most-visited attractions.
Figures released today by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) show The Roman Baths, pictured, & Pump Room attracted 1,318,976 people during 2017 – a year-on-year increase of 8.4%.
That was above the UK average visitor number increase of 7.3%. As a result, The Roman Baths & Pump Room, owned by Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES), moved up three places to become the 23rd most-visited attraction in the UK.
It is now also the ninth most-visited charging attraction in the UK and the second most-visited attraction in the South West after Stonehenge.
Domestic visitors remained the largest market for The Roman Baths, with 62% 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 audio guides in 2017.
Bath & North East Somerset Council cabinet member for economic and community regeneration Cllr Paul Myers 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.”
The figure includes daytime visitors to The Roman Baths and restaurant customers in The Pump Room.
Last year The Roman Baths landed Gold in the Access & Inclusivity and International Visitor Experience categories along with a Bronze for Venue and Business Tourism.
