Although every day is important, you’ll all know that July and August are especially important if we are to achieve the financial results we set for ourselves. So much so, that these two months account for almost a third of our annual attendance and an even greater share of income. Being on site and looking out at the number of visitors we welcomed, it certainly felt busier than last year, and so it proved. During July and August we welcomed 93,569 visitors, compared to 88,774 for the same period last year; that is growth of over 5%, and healthily above our forecast of 90,300. For the first time we welcomed over 58,000 visitors during August. Year-to-date it means we are 3% ahead of 2016 and our forecast, at 223,543, as we head towards the Autumn/Winter events programme.
The summer activity programme –Let’s Get Sporty – was clearly a hit with families, and the experiment of late-night Fridays was a success, and one which we’ll do again next year. And although the weather wasn’t exactly spectacular, it was ok, and occasionally helped us along, not least on the August Bank Holiday.
As ever, our success is down to an enormous team effort – whatever your role – and I want to thank everyone for their commitment, and for those in front-line jobs, for providing visitors with the best possible experience, and the sheer hard work involved in welcoming, serving, talking to and cleaning-up after, so many people in such a short period of time. Thank you.
Andrew
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