Museums struggle to get people through the door with visitors still 50 per cent lower than pre-pandemic
The number of people visiting museums is still 50 per cent lower than pre-pandemic levels, as iconic sites struggle to get visitors back through the door.
According to data from the Department for Digital, Culture, Music and Sport released today, there were a total of five million visits to the DCMS-sponsored museums and galleries between October and December 2021.
This was more than four times the number of visits when compared to the same period in 2020 (1.2 million), when the country was still in phases of lockdown, but was 55.3 per cent lower than the same period in 2019 (11.1 million).
DCMS sponsors iconic museums like the Science Museum, The British Museum and the Churchill War Rooms.
For instance, The British Museum hit 445,302 visitors in December 2019, compared to 179,768 in December 2021.
However, the today’s figures exclude the Museum of the Home in Hoxton (which was closed from January 2018 to June 2021) and the National Portrait Gallery (which closed in March 2020 and will reopen in spring 2023).
In December, Rishi Sunak announced there would be £1bn in support for businesses most impacted by Omicron across the UK, including £30m further funding through the Culture Recovery Fund to help support theatres and museums.
The government will be allowing more cultural organisations in England to apply for support during the winter, and the figure will build on nearly £240m of cultural grant support already allocated this financial year or currently available for organisations to bid for.
Over the course of the pandemic the UK Government has provided nearly £2bn to support our vital cultural sector, with the original £1.57bn round of the Culture Recovery Fund announced in July 2020.