Visitor figures down by 8% at Edinburgh Castle

THE number of people visiting Edinburgh Castle slumped by eight per cent last year compared with 2007.

Castle visitor numbers dropped to 1,128,394 according to figures released today by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.

The number of people visiting the National Galleries complex on the Mound also fell by ten per cent to 842,958, with the National Museum of Scotland experiencing a 27 per cent reduction to 614,894. Visitors to Dean Gallery dropped by 17.7 per cent to 109,509.

The statistics reflect a national trend with numbers at Scotland's flagship tourist attractions falling last year by ten per cent or more.

The cost of fuel, poor summer weather and the strength of the pound against the euro and dollar last year were all blamed for Scotland's declining visitor numbers.

However across the rest of Britain, numbers mostly held level, with visitors to London's Westminster Abbey shooting up by 39.9 per cent to 1,481,150.