Akaroa Museum on track for record year

Akaroa Museum is already off to a flying start for 2015, with its visitor numbers set to reach a record high.

Only six months into the year, and with the busiest summer months still to come, visitors to the Museum have already exceeded the 10,000 mark.

“We’re on track to double that figure by the end of this June, which is very encouraging,” says Museum Director Lynda Wallace.

“It would mean a huge increase on the Museum’s previous best of 16,800 visitors in 2008–09.

“Having only just celebrated our 50th anniversary, and with repair and strengthening work scheduled to start on the closed galleries next month, staff are feeling very positive indeed about 2015,” she says.

Ms Wallace says the removal of the Museum’s admission charge, which was approved by Christchurch City Council and came into effect last July, was helping to drive the resurgence in visitors.

“After 2008, the double blow of the global financial crisis and then the Canterbury earthquakes resulted in significantly lower visitor numbers. Last year the total was only 11,300, so it’s wonderful to see that figure climbing again.”

Analysis of this year’s visitor numbers so far shows that 25 per cent come from the Christchurch City area, 20 per cent from other parts of New Zealand, and the balance from overseas. The cruise ship market is also evident in the statistics, which show that 25 per cent of visitors are Australian.

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