The Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) has found that visits to the Acropolis Museum have increased by 36.9% in the first seven months of 2014. This is great news for the museum which celebrated its fifth year of operation in June and has been the recipient of a number of conservation awards and complementary articles in the media.
From Greek Reporter
A significant increase exceeding 20% in the attendance as well as the revenue of museums and archaeological sites across Greece in the first seven months of 2014, documented the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).
ELSTAT data showed that 22.1% more people visited museums during the January-July period, while revenue increased by 28%. At the same time, the archaeological sites across the country saw a visitors’ increase of 22.9% compared to the previous period while revenue increased by 16.1%. It is worth noting that solely on July, 29.8% more people visited museums and 20.2% archaeological sites. During that month, revenue was increased by 33.4% and 13.8% at museums and archaeological sites respectively.
The Acropolis Museum was the most visited during those seven months of 2014, with a total of 158,581 visitors, 36.9% more than last year, when 115,865 people visited the newly constructed museum. The Palace of the Grand Master in the island of Rhodes was the second most visited with 51,232 visitors, almost 10,000 more than 2013, when the number was 41,956, marking an increase of 22.1%. In total, the people who entered Greek museums between January and July 2014 were 499,414, which is 29,8% more than last year, when they did not exceed 384,688.
At the same time, the most visited archaeological site was the Acropolis of Athens with 196,886 visitors in 2014, or 7.9% more than last year (182,418). The second most popular was the Knossos Palace in the southern island of Crete with 120,480 visitors, almost 3,000 less than last year. Knossos was the only archaeological site that recorded a decrease in visitors compared to the previous year.
According to ELSTAT, a total of 2,861,720 people visited museums and archaeological sites in the first seven months of 2014, a 26.3% increase. At the same period last year, this number was 2,265,554. The total revenue for January- July 2014 was some 28.5 million euros, 4.5 million euros more than the same period in 2013.
