Terrorism fears linked to 1.3m fall in gallery visits

Other factors included staff strikes and growing difficulties in organising school trips for children
Other factors included staff strikes and growing difficulties in organising school trips for children
TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE

The number of visitors to leading British museums and galleries fell by 1.37 million last year, with experts blaming security fears over terrorism as one of the reasons for the poor turnout.

A report by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport found that 47.6 million people visited Tate Modern, the British Museum, the Imperial War Museum and other major institutions between April 2015 and April 2016, a drop from the record 50 million visitors the previous year.

Tate galleries in London, Liverpool and St Ives lost more than a million visitors over the 12 months, from 7.9 million to 6.7 million, making the British Museum the most popular institution, drawing in almost 6.9 million visitors in 2016.

Industry bodies claimed that a shortage of