More than one million people visited the Roman Baths & Pump Room in 2023. It is the first time the milestone has been reached since before the pandemic and reflects a strong return of tourism to the city. The announcement comes as the Roman Baths team prepare for the start of the busy visitor season with a full ‘spring clean’ of the Great Bath.
Figures released by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) today show that visitor numbers to the Roman Baths have grown by 25% from 851,854 in 2022 to 1,061,240 in 2023. The historic site is the 29th most visited attraction in the UK rankings and, after Stonehenge, is the second most visited attraction in England outside of London.
Councillor Paul Roper, Cabinet Member for Economic & Cultural Sustainable Development, said: “It is a huge achievement to have welcomed over one million people to the Roman Baths for the first time since the pandemic - I am delighted that so many people chose our beautiful historic site as the place to make memories with their friends and families.
To be 29th in a list of the country’s best museums, historic sites, and attractions is a ringing endorsement of the Roman Baths as one of the country’s must-see visitor destinations, and reflects the importance of Bath within the UK tourism industry. These visitors contribute a huge amount to the local economy and all of the profit made at the Roman Baths is used to improve the lives of local people and conserve the site for future generations.”
The Roman Baths team are busy getting the historic site looking its best to welcome visitors ahead of the peak tourism season starting at Easter. The spring clean of the Great Bath will take place today and tomorrow and sees the enormous lead-lined bath fully drained of hot water.
Roman visitors to the baths would have enjoyed the water beneath an enormous, vaulted ceiling – now open to the elements, the Great Bath needs to be emptied and cleaned to remove the build-up of algae and protect the historic stone. The original Roman drainage system is used to empty the water, proving Roman engineering was built to last!
The Roman Baths are now open for summer hours from 9am-6pm every day, with extended evening opening over Easter weekend and the summer holidays – offering even more chances for visitors to experience the world-famous historic site and museum.
www.romanbaths.co.uk
www.ALVA.org.uk