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Tourist visitors to the South East's museums, libraries and archives generate £230m for the local economy. Museums Libraries and archives in the South East are also estimated to support over 20,000 jobs in the South. The 7 million visits to Hampshire County Council's museums, libraries and archives are estimated to contribute £8.7m to the county's visitor economy Tourism plays a crucial part in the South, approximately 4.5million people travel to Hampshire and stay one or more nights. Around half a million of these are overseas visitors and there are a further 36million day trips made to and within the county. Executive Member for Recreation, Heritage and Communities, Councillor Margaret Snaith said: "Tourism in Hampshire is booming thanks to the reputation that stands before this beautiful county and all the hard effort that goes into promoting the area to tourists. The museum, library and archive sector seeks to balance providing an attractive service for local and community needs as well as providing a popular visitor attractions. "The South East has the largest proportion of museums in the UK and are considered to be a very valuable component of the visitor economy; providing enjoyment and learning opportunities. Around 54% of visitors to the Hampshire County Archives service are tourists researching family history. "Working in partnership with Tourism South East and district and borough councils, the County Council will continue to promote Hampshire as a great place to come and stay for pleasure to help boost these figures further." Below are the top five Hampshire County Council museum sites which contribute the most to Hampshire's tourism economy: Milestones Living History Museum, Basingstoke, contributes over £2.6 million Willis Museum, Basingstoke, contributes over £1.1million Westbury Manor Museum, Fareham, contributes over £960,000 Andover Museum contributes over £900,000 Roger Tym &Partners were commissioned by the Museums Libraries and Archives Council South East to undertake an economic impact assessment of museums, libraries and archives in the South East region focusing on tourism. To see the full report visit: http://www.hants.gov.uk/decisions/decisions-index/index-docs-6950.html For more information visit Hampshire County Council |
