An Isle of Wight Council attraction has recorded its best ever visitor numbers for the month of April, with Hollywood playing its part.
Nearly 10,000 people visited Dinosaur Isle Museum in Sandown last month, which is almost 2,000 people higher than the previous record – according to the Isle of Wight Council.
It is thought significant publicity towards the end of 2013 involving the Isle of Wight branding itself ‘dinosaur island’ and the Hollywood film ‘Walking With Dinosaurs’ played a big part in the jump in numbers.
Shirley Smart is the Executive councillor responsible for tourism and said:
“The council worked very closely with Visit Isle of Wight who led on the dinosaur island marketing campaign and it certainly appears to have had a significant impact.
“The museum also saw an overall increase in visitor numbers for 2013 which allowed it to invest in new heating equipment and improve the displays. The council will continue to work closely with Visit Isle of Wight to further promote the Island as a fantastic holiday destination.”
Chief executive of Visit Isle of Wight is David Thornton who added:
“Visitor numbers to the Island are up overall and we are now starting to see the results of a sustained investment in the Island’s holiday profile as a result of pro-active collective marketing and promotion led by the DMO, Isle of Wight Council and partners.
Article continues below this advertisement “Activities like our dinosaur island and Shades of Wight campaigns are securing good exposure in national newspapers, magazines and online and a poster and hoarding campaign in London last month was especially effective in delivering a huge increase to website traffic and last minute bookings for the Easter period. There is much more still to do, with the challenge of promoting the Island for all seasons.”
Dinosaur Isle Museum in Sandown first opened in 2001 and houses thousands of fossils, including those of dinosaurs that are unique to the Island.
