Burrell Collection in Glasgow enjoys 500000 visitors in 2024

The Burrell Collection in Glasgow enjoyed over half a million visitors last year becoming one of Scotland's most popular free tourist attractions.

It recorded a total 555,888 visits, an increase of 11.6% on 2023.

Data from the Moffat Centre at Glasgow Caledonian University and the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA) shows Culloden Visitor Centre increased 42.8% to 374,443, Stirling Castle was up 14.8% to 594,938.

Footfall to St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh rose to 1,742,147.

Chris Greenwood, Senior Research Fellow at the Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism at Glasgow Caledonian University, said: "Heritage and culture are a major attraction among our international visitors with castles, heritage centres and historic sites all performing well.

"Many of Scotland’s heritage sites are used as filming locations which encourages visitors to undertake “set-jetting” trips to experience their favourite film and television productions, such as Outlander."

Michael Golding, Chief Executive of the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA), said: “The success of Scottish attractions is underpinned by a resolute commitment to providing high-quality experiences that captivate and inspire visitors.

"The continued rise in visitor numbers, particularly at heritage sites and filming locations, highlights the power of authentic and immersive storytelling in attracting visitors.

“We must however recognise the ongoing challenges facing attractions – evidenced through five of the top 10 having a reduction in visitors and we’re committed to working with the sector to see continued improvement in both quality of experience and visitor numbers.”

Hear the latest news on Clyde 1 on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.