A new report released this week reveals the important role galleries play in the visitor economy.
Produced by The Audience Agency in partnership with the Contemporary Visual Arts Network (CVAN), The National Visual Arts Benchmark report represents over 25,850 survey responses collected by 59 galleries across England over a seven-month period.
The key findings include that over half of visitors to the galleries were from outside the local area, with one in three having planned their trip to visit a specific space. A further quarter of visitors included a gallery visit as part of the trip, even if it wasn’t the main reason for coming to the area.
The report also estimates that those galleries situated outside London attracted a combined new visitor spend of £25m to their local economy during the period of study.
Julia Bell, the national coordinator for CVAN, said: “These findings demonstrate the unique value that visual arts bring to audiences and local communities, helping CVAN to make the case for greater partnership working between arts organisations, local authorities, tourism, business and regeneration bodies.”
Anne Torreggiani, executive director of The Audience Agency, added: “The report demonstrates the strength of the visual arts in terms of its broad reach and the quality of experience it delivers.
“Importantly, it also highlights the significant impact that galleries have on attracting visitors and spend to their local areas.”
