The Roman Baths has been named as the UK’s most popular paid-for attraction in the 2015 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice awards for museums.
The baths, which attract one million visitors a year, was named as the country’s fifth best-rated museum and the highest-ranked outside London in the table.
The TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice awards highlight the world’s top museums based on the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings of visitors gathered over the previous 12 months.
The Roman Baths are run by Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) Council, whose cabinet member for economic development Cllr Patrick Anketell-Jones said: “Year on year the Roman Baths continue to prove a hit with visitors.
“This is a great accolade and I’m delighted that the Roman Baths are the most popular of all the charging attractions in the UK, as well as the only visitor attraction outside London to be in the top five.
“This council is committed to ensuring the Roman Baths maintain their status as a ‘must-see’ attraction. We constantly strive to make improvements to help people imagine life in Roman Bath, whilst conserving the monument and protecting it for future generations.”
The museum’s collection has been awarded ‘designated’ status by the Government as a non-national museum that holds a nationally important collection. The Beau Street Hoard collection of 17,577 Roman silver coins, discovered in Bath in 2007, is now on display at the museum while the Roman curse tablets, thrown into the Sacred Spring for the goddess, have now been included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.
TripAdvisor chief marketing officer Barbara Messing said: “Honouring nearly 600 institutions worldwide, the Travellers’ Choice awards have recognised the favourite museums that serve as cultural treasure troves for our community of millions. These world-class museums provide an enriching experience that can be both inspiring and educational for travellers around the globe.”
TripAdvisor’s sites, which operate in 45 countries worldwide, make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching 375m unique monthly visitors and include more than 250m reviews and opinions covering 5.2m hotels, restaurants and attractions.
Pictured: Australia’s squad for the Rugby World Cup 2015 being officially welcomed to the tournament at the Roman Baths this week
